
FARM JfURNAL 

PHILADE LRS|/Jdfi?2§ 



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in 2010 with funding from 
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First Edition — Ten Thousand 



Copyright, 1910 
By Wilmer Atkinson Company 



DEDICATION 

TO EVERY CORN GROWER WHO LOVES HIS WORK AND STRIVES TO DO 
IT BETTER THIS YEAR THAN LAST, THIS LITTLE BOOK ON CORN IS MOST 
SINCERELY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. 



The Four Essentials 

Orders for Harvesting, Testing, Grading and 
Improving Corn 

If I owned the farms of the United States I would give four 
orders to my farmers as follows : 

i. Harvesting. You must harvest during the last ten days 
of September and the first five days of October of this year and 
every year thereafter, all the seed corn intended for the next 
spring's planting. This seed must be strung and hung up each 
day, as fast as harvested, according to plans which will be 
explained in another place. 

You will be expected to harvest and store as described, at 
least five times the amount of seed actually required for planting, 
that you may have plenty from which to select the best ; and also 
sufficient to provide for any replanting which may be made 
necessary from any cause. 

2. Testing. You must make a thorough germination test of 
at least six kernels from every ear selected for planting, and 
discard all ears that are dead or that give weak germination. 
You will be expected to begin this important work February 
20th, and continue until it is completed, which should not be 
later than March 20th. 

Specific directions for this work are given in another place 
under the head of "Preparing the Seed for the Planter" and also 
in "Steps in Testing Corn." You will study these directions 
carefully at once that you may, in due time, make the proper 
preparations for the work. You will be expected to follow these 
directions in detail as nearly as possible. 

3. Grading and Hand-Picking. That you may secure 
regularity in the drop of the planter and the right number of 
kernels per hill (which must be not less than three) , you will shell 
fifteen or twenty ears, each ear separately, placing the larger 
kerneled ears in one grade and the smaller in another. You will 
now test the drop of the planter with each of these grades, using 
the different sized plates. This is necessary to secure a uniform 
and proper drop. When this has been done you will proceed 
with the shelling, shelling each ear separately and placing it in 



CORN SECRETS 7 

the grade to which it belongs. You will now hand-pick the 
seed by spreading it out on a table, a small quantity at a time, 
discarding the black, broken, moldy, rotten, frozen and barren 
kernels, — kernels which will take the place of good ones in the 
planter and leave vacant places in the field. 

You will now place the seed in sacks, one-third to one-half 
bushel in each, and hang, as fast as sacks are filled, in a dry place 
where they will be safe from injury by mice. 

4. Improvement: The Best 100 Ears. You must take great 
pains at time of harvesting and tying up the seed, and especially 
during the preparation of the seed for the planter, to select the 
choicest 100 ears, which you must shell and keep separate from 
the general supply of seed by providing sacks of different colors. 
You must plant this best seed on one side of your best and earliest 
planted field. It is from this seven or eight acres thus planted 
that you will select all the seed in September for next year's 
planting, as described in Order No 1. There is absolutely no 
excuse which shall exempt you from carrying out these four 
orders in good faith. 

Any person who fails, will do so at the risk of having his 
lease discontinued at the close of the year. While these instruc- 
tions may seem arbitrary and dictatorial, they are not so intended, 
and are given only after much thought and time have been 
devoted to the question of improving the corn crop. If the work 
is carried out as outlined, and it must be, it will result in greatly 
increasing the yield and improving the quality of the corn crop. 

It cannot possibly result in any injury to the seed or cause 
loss in any way. You are in a position to perform this work 
thoroughly with the conveniences which you have at hand. 
You will also observe that this work can all be done by yourself 
and members of your family, and with practically no expenditure 
of money. 

It can also be done at a time when no other work will thereby 
be delayed or neglected. In other words, there is everything to 
be gained and nothing to be lost. If this work is fairly well done 
it will increase the yield on our farms from the present average 
of thirty-four bushels per acre to forty-four bushels. One 
additional fourteen ounce ear of cOrn to each hill will make 
forty-four bushels per acre. It is not only possible to do this, but 
the yield can eventually be raised to fifty-four bushels per acre. 
The average township grows about 66,000 bushels of corn worth 



5 CORN SECRETS 

approximately $33,000. In the average county with 100,000 
acres, we would have 1,000,000 bushels increase over the present 
yield, and valued at $500,000. The corn crop of the United 
States in 1910 amounted to over 3,000,000,000 bushels. If my 
four rules of seed selection had been practiced it would have 
increased that yield by 900,000,000 bushels, and that at a very 
small cost in dollars above the expenditure required to produce 
the lesser yield. 

Three Things That You Must Not Do : 

1. You must not import seed corn from a distance with 
which to plant the general crop. If, however, it becomes neces- 
sary for any reason to purchase seed corn to plant, you must 
secure the same from some reliable person in your vicinity. 
You may, if you so desire, import a small quantity for the pur- 
pose of comparison. 

2. You must not follow oats with corn. This rule will be 
put in force after the present year when you shall have had 
time to make the necessary readjustments. 

3. You must not continue on your farm without establishing 
a definite system of rotation. This rotation shall include clover 
or clover and timothy, and corn must not be grown more than 
two years in succession on the same land. 

In the following chapters complete instructions, with ex- 
planations and illustrations, are given for carrying out these 
orders. 



CORN SECRETS 9 

The Ten Steps 

Or the Secret of Preparing; Seed Corn for the Planter 

Fig. i. First Step. — Lay the ears side by side on the tables or planks 
arranged for that purpose, where they can be studied and compared and the 
poorer ones discarded. 




Fig. 2. Second Step. Discarding the Poorer Ears. — When the table has 
been filled go over the ears and discard the poorer ones, i. e., those which by 




general appearance show immaturity, weak constitution, or are chaffy, moldy, 
etc. This process must be repeated by adding new ears until the table is 
again full of ears which, judging from outside appearance, are good. 



IO 



CORN SECRETS 



Fig. 3. Third Step. Examining the Kernels. — From ' each of these 
selected ears remove two or three kernels, and place them, germ side up, at 
the end of the ear from which they were taken. Make a more careful study 




of both the kernels and the ears, pulling back to be discarded those ears 
which have faulty kernels, i. e., ears whose kernels are too small, too shallow 
or are immature, starchy or moldy, or that have small, weak, or frozen germs, 
etc. Do not neglect this step. 




Fig. 4 

Fig. 4. Fourth Step. Making the Germination Test.— After the poorer 
ears have been discarded, as shown in the previous cut, the ears are arranged 
as shown above; the nails separating them into ten-ear divisions. Each tenth 
ear is numbered 1, 11, 21, etc. Six kernels are taken from each ear, beginning 
with No. 1, and placed in the germination box, shown at the right of the table, 



CORN SECRETS 



to sprout. In another place the process of making a germination box and 
putting the corn over to test will be shown more fully. 

Fig. 5. Fifth Step. Butting and Tipping the Ears. — When the corn has 
been tested and the weak and dead ears have been discarded the small, irregu- 
lar tip kernels and the large butt kernels should be shelled off, mainly because 




Fi.s 



they will not drop evenly from the planter. In case there is more seed than 
can be tested at one time, it will be advisable to put a second set over to germi- 
nate while the first lot is being butted, tipped, shelled, etc. 




Fig. 6 

Fig. 6. Sixth Step. Shelling Ears One at a Time. — Shell each ear sepa- 
rately, catching the corn in a basin or box. This makes it possible to grade the 
corn as to size and quality of kernels. The young man at the right is examin- 
ing the corn from an ear. If the kernels are large, he will put them in one of 



12 



CORN SECRETS 



the boxes marked "large size." If clean, bright, and of good quality they 
will go into a box marked "first grade" ; if not so good they will go into a box 
marked "second grade." If the kernels are rather small they will go in a like 
manner into a box marked "small size." In case an ear when shelled shows 
a large number of broken, moldy or rotten kennels, or is inferior in quality 
in other ways, the corn is emptied into a dish marked "discarded." Plant 
grade No. i first and use only what is necessary of the second grade to finish 
with. The larger planter plates should be used for the larger grade and the 
smaller plates for the smaller grade. 

The importance of shelling each ear separately cannot be too strongly 
emphasized. 




Fig. 7. Seventh Step. Testing the Planter. — After shelling fifteen or 
twenty ears and grading them as described in the former steps, the two grades 
should be taken to the planter and tested with the different plates. If the 
test shows that one or both of the grades are not suited to the plates, another 
fifteen or twenty ears should be shelled and the grades readjusted by putting 
more of the corn into the large grade, or the reverse. In like manner test 
these grades in the planter. You will now be in a position to shell the remain- 
der of the seed and grade it intelligently. Testing the planter, as described^ 
will require not to exceed two hours' work. The right amount of seed and an 
even drop are essential to the largest yield. This is especially true where the 
corn is mostly checked and the crop is grown for the ears and not for the fodder. 
DON'T GUESS, know that the planter drops your seed properly. 

Fig. 8; Eighth Step. Getting Rid of the Chaff and Irregular Kernels. — 
While not generally done, it is a good plan to put one-third to one-half of a 
bushel of shelled corn in a box at a time and tread it with the feet for two or 
three minutes to rub off the chaff and projecting tips of the kernels. Chaff 
gathers under the planter plates and around the trip and frequently greatly 
interferes with the dropping. There is often a little sharp projection at the 
tip of the kernels, especially if the seed was picked early or is slightly immature, 
which interferes with the regularity of the drop unless rubbed or broken off 
as described above. The corn should now be run through the fanning mill to 
blowout the chaff, or, better still, run through the little hand sorter as shown in 
Fig. 8£. This will not only take out the chaff but will also remove the small, 
inferior kernels and the large, irregular ones, such as "nigger heads" which 
are caused by imperfect pollenization of the corn and are found more or less in 
every ear. Running the seed through the hand sorter greatly lessens the work 



CORN SECRETS 



13 



of "hand-picking" described in the next step. A bushel of corn can be run 
through the hand sorter in five minutes. 




Fig. 9. Ninth Step. Picking 
Out the Bad Kernels. — Spread 
the corn on a table, a small quan- Fig. 8% 

tity at a time, and pick out the 

black, broken, barren, moldy, rotten kernels which would take the place of 
good ones in the planter, leaving vacant places in the field where there should 




Fig. 9 



have been good stalks and good hills. This work is often done evenings when 
the boys and girls are home from school. The corn being spread out on the 



14 



CORN SECRETS 



kitchen or dining-room table, it will require but an hour or so to go over a 
bushel of seed corn in this way, depending somewhat on the quality. If you 
have never run over your seed, hand-picking it as described above, you will have 
very little conception of the number of defective kernels you will find in a 
bushel. Try it this coming spring, you can't possibly lose. It will increase 
your profits this year and improve the corn for the future. 

Fig. 10. Tenth Step. Hanging up the Seed One-half Bushel in Each 
Sack. — When the seed has been tested, graded for the planter, hand-picked, 
etc., as described, it should be put in sacks containing not more than one-half 
bushel each, and hung up in a dry place free from mice. There is probably 
no better place than in the attic, where the strings of seed corn were hung 
during the winter. (See fig. 7, p. 26.) 




Fig. 10 



Special attention is called to the three sacks hanging at the left labeled 
"seed from the best 100 ears." This best seed was put in flour or sugar sacks 
to distinguish it from the general supply of seed which was put in grain or 
gunny sacks. At planting time, take down this best seed, put it in the planter 
and plant it on one side of the field. Finish the field from the general supply 
of seed. In the fall go into the seven or eight acres planted from this best 100 
ears and gather the seed for next year's planting. 

There is no law more certain than this that "like begets like." You ask 
how you are to secure those best 100 ears? While you are preparing the seed 
for the planter, i. e., sorting, testing, shelling, etc., keep watch for any unusually 
good ears. These should be laid to one side until all of the seed corn has 
been gone over. Then shell, hand-pick and hang up, in different-colored or 
different-sized sacks to distinguish them from the regular supply of corn seed. 

The Secret of These Ten Steps Lies in Three Facts. — First: That we 
cannot possibly lose and we are certain to increase our profits, not only this 
year but every year. Second: That it costs almost nothing except a little 
attention, thought and work at the right time. Third: That every one can 
do this work himself and at a time when no other farm work will be neglected. 



CORN SECRETS 15 

The Secret of Testing 

Six Kernels Taken from Each Car of Corn Intended for Planting 

"Mother Earth may offer her choicest fields, the sun may lavish his brightest 
rays, the gentle showers may float down on the balmiest winds of spring to nourish 
the infant plant — yet, if this child of God has been touched by the blighting breath 
of decay, or is the offspring of perverted parentage, all the kindly care of loving 
Nature, aided by the hand of man, but emphasizes the more strongly that What- 
soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' " — From Farmers' Tribune. 

Making the Test. — There are several excellent Seed Corn Testers on the 
market. Probably no method is better suited to all conditions than what is 
known as the Sawdust Germination Box method, which is briefly described as 
follows: — 

Getting Ready. — Make a box three to four inches deep and 30x30 inches in 
dimensions. Fill the box about half full of moist sawdust well pressed down 
so as to leave a smooth, even surface. The sawdust should be put in a gunny 
sack and set in a tub of warm water for at least an hour (or still better over 
night) so that it will be thoroughly moistened before using. Rule off a piece 
of good white cloth (sheeting) about the size of the box, into squares, checker- 
board fashion, two and one-half inches each way. Number the squares, 1, 2, 
3, etc. Place the cloth on the sawdust and tack it to the box at the corners and 
edges. Lay out the ears to be tested side by side on planks, tables, or on the 
floor, as shown in fig. 7 ; remove one kernel from near the butt, middle, and tip 
of the ear ; turn the ear over and remove three kernels from the opposite side 
in like manner, making six kernels in all, thus securing a sample from the entire 
ear. Place the six kernels at the end of the ear from which they are taken. 
Use care that the kernels do not get mixed with those from the ear next to it. 
After the kernels are removed, boards may be laid over the rows of ears to 
keep them in place until the result of the germination is known. Place the 
kernels from the ear of corn No. 1 in square No. 1 of the germination box; 
from ear No. 2 in square No. 2, and so on with all the ears. Lay a piece of 
good cloth on top of the kernels and dampen it by sprinkling water over it. 
Then place over this a cloth considerably larger than the box and fill in on top 
of this about two inches of moist sawdust and pack it down firmly by treading 
with the feet. The edges of the cover may be folded over the sawdust in the 
box to prevent drying out. The box is now ready to set away until the kernels 
sprout. Keep in an ordinarily warm place like the living-room where it will 
not freeze. The kernels will germinate in about eight days. 

Remove the cover carefully to avoid misplacing the kernels in the squares. 
Examine the kernels in each square in the germination box, and discard all 
ears whose kernels in the box are dead or show weak germination. 

Special Things to be Observed. — Be sure to soak the sawdust at least one 
hour — or better still over night. 

Use good quality of cloth (sheeting) for the cloth that is marked off in 
squares and the cloth which is laid over the kernels. 

Leave at least two inches margin around the edges of the box to prevent 
freezing and drying out. 

Rule the cloth off in large squares 2^x2^ inches. 

Never use the box the second time without first thoroughly scalding both 
the cloths and sawdust. (The cloth should be untacked and the sawdust 
removed to do this.) 

Do not open too soon. The stem sprouts should be at least two inches 
long. 

Throw out all ears showing weak germination as well as the dead ears. 



i6 



CORN SECRETS 



Advantages of the Sawdust Germination Box. — i. It costs nothing but a 
little time and labor. 

2. It furnishes nearly natural or normal conditions. 

3. The sawdust is light, clean and easy to get and handle in February and 
the first of March, when the testing should be done; is a good non-conductor 
of heat and cold, so that the temperature is kept even during germination, 
and holds the moisture so perfectly that there is no danger of drying out. 

The number of boxes required will depend upon the amount of seed to be 
tested and the time limit. Where several boxes are used, we generally stack 
them up, one on top of the other. 

When the first set of boxes has been taken off, it is a good plan to put 
another set over at once, and while the corn in these is sprouting, the first 
set of ears can be butted and tipped, shelled, graded and hand-picked. If 
more than one kernel of the six fail to grow, the ear should be discarded. If 
only one kernel fails to grow, the ear should generally be discarded ; unless it is 
an especially good ear in other respects, when it might be well to give it another 
trial in the next test. 

Ears whose kernels mold badly in the germination box should be dis- 
carded. If the kernels show weak, spindling sprouts, or a part of them are 
very weak and uneven, the ear should be thrown out to make place for an ear 
whose kernels give strong, vigorous sprouts; Remember that the kernels 
which are slow to sprout and are weak will be behind the strong ones in the 
field, and being shaded by them will give us weak, runty stalks with small ears. 

Poor seed means a poor stand, with missing hills; one-stalk hills with weak 
stalks, producing little or nothing, also wasted land and wasted labor; it means 
less than thirty bushels of corn per acre instead of fifty or sixty; it means that we 
produce on an average in each hill just one small ear of corn weighing less 
than ten ounces. 

The following illustrations will show thoroughly every step in making this 
test: 




Fig. l 



Fii 



Fig. 1. — Putting the gunny sack of sawdust over to soak in warm water. 
Fig. 2. — Pushing the sack of sawdust down into the water to insure 
thorough soaking. 



CORN SECRETS 



17 



pig. 3. — Seed left to soak for at least one-half hour (better over night), 
when it should be removed from the water which has become cold and put into 
warm or hot water. It is always 
best to have the sawdust warm when 
put into the box, ready for the corn 
to be put over. 

Sawdust can always be obtained 
from the ice house, sawmill, lumber 
yard or meat market. 





Fig. 3 



Fig. 4 



Fig. 4. — Take the sack out of the tub and tread it to remove the excess of 
water, so that it will not be too cold and soggy for the corn and to prevent the 
water from running out of the box after the corn is placed therein. 




Fig. f) 



Fig. 6 



Fig. 5. — Put two inches of this sawdust in the box and pack it down so 
that it is smooth and firm. It is now ready for the germination cloth. This 
box is 30x30x4 inches deep and will test 100 ears. 



1 8 CORN SECRETS 

Fig. 6. — Place the germination cloth, which has been ruled off in squares, 
, on the sawdust in the box and tack to the edges sufficiently to hold in place. 
Notice that there is a two and one-half inch margin around the edge of the box. 

Fig. 7. — Ears laid out ready for making the germination test. A spike 
is driven after every tenth ear. Every tenth ear is numbered, as shown, with 
a piece of chalk. Six kernels are now taken from different places in ear No. 1 




Fig. 7 

and placed in square No. 1 on the cloth in the germination box, as shown in the 
next cut. This process is repeated with ears Nos. 2, 3, 4, etc., until all of the 
ears have been put over to test. 

Fig. 8. — Arranging the kernels in the squares. The kernels are laid on 
their backs with germ side up, the tips toward the left and the crowns toward 
the right or top of the box. Remember that the crowns of the kernels are all 
one way, in this case toward the right. 




Fig. 8 



Fig. 9 



Fig. 9. — Putting on the cover cloth. As soon as this is laid over the 
kernels, sprinkle a few handfuls of warm water over it to fit it down tight over 
them. It is now ready for the larger cloth, on top of which is to be put two 
inches of sawdust. 



CORN SECRETS 



19 



Fig. 10. — This cloth is larger than the box. On top of this fill in with about 
two inches of the warm sawdust and pack down firmly, as shown in next cut. 



j!*** 





Fig. 10 



Fig. 11 



Fig. 1 1 . — Packing the sawdust down firmly over the corn. The edges of 
this top cloth may now be folded in over the sawdust to prevent evaporation. 




Fig.12 



Fig. 12. — Folding the cloth in from the edges over the sawdust. 

Fig. 13. — The crowns of the kernels are toward the right side of the box 



CORN SECRETS 



which is being raised by placing under it a four-inch brick. When the kernels 
sprout, the stems which come from the crown end of the kernels will grow 
toward the upper side of the box, and the roots which come from the tips of 
the kernels will grow down toward the lower side. The advantage of this will 

be apparent after you have had ex- 
perience with testing. 

Fig. 14. — Set away for the corn 
to sprout. Frequently five or six 
boxes will be put over at the same 
time and set on top of each other. 




Fig. 14 







Fig. 15 

Fig. 1 5 . — Rolling off the top cloth 
with the sawdust. 
Fig. 16. — Peel back the cover cloth carefully so as not to disturb the 




Fig v, 



kernels. The kernels have only started to sprout and the box must be 
recovered and left until the sprouts are two inches long, as shown in fig. 18. 



CORN SECRETS 



21 



Fig. 17. — At the end of eight days the box is uncovered and carefully- 
studied. The tester has pulled back ears Nos. 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, etc., and is now 
pulling back ear No. 17. This is to show that some or all of the kernels in the 
germination box from these ears were either dead or weak. These ears will be 
discarded. 

Fig. 18. — Ears Nos. 2, 6, 9 and 11 should be discarded. Ears Nos. 3, 5, 8 
and 10 are strong. Save out ears like these for the best 100 ears provided they 
are good in other respects. Ears may have life as in the case of No. 6, but when 
these kernels fall into the hills with others, like Nos. 3 or 5, they are deprived 




Fig. 18. Showing sprouts in the germinating test at the end of eight days. 

of food and light and give us stalks with little or no grain, but they produce 
pollen to scatter over the field to propagate their kind. Ear No. 6 is one of the 
kind that fools us, when we attempt to judge by the eye and the jack-knife 
method. Ear No. 6 was planted by the side of ear No. 3 but yielded less than 
half the corn in the fall. 

If we buy the germination boxes and the cloth and hire the work done it 
will not cost to exceed sixteen cents per acre to test every ear for seed. 

Fig. 19. Rows From Separate Ears. — -Test each ear of seed before planting 
time and discard the dead ones. Don't GUESS but TEST. 

Each row in this field was planted from a different ear of corn. The row 
on the left on which the man is standing is fine; the row on which the other 
man is standing is good ; but the middle row, or the one between them, is almost 
worthless. The testers ' ' GUESSED IT WOULD GROW." 



22 



CORN SECRETS 



Fig. 20. Rows From Different Ears of Corn. Another "Guess" That 
the Ears Were All Right. — The right row has a perfect stand of corn, the left 
row is nearly worthless, the middle row has only about half a stand. 




Fig. 19 
21. Rows From Separate Ears of Seed.- 



Fig. 21. Rows From Separate Ears of Seed. — The right-hand row is 
scarcely waist high, while the left-hand row is shoulder high, almost completely 




Fig. 20 

hiding the man standing in the row. A germination test would have revealed 
the weakness of the seed ear from which the right hand row was planted. 



CORN SECRETS 



23 



Fig. 22. Two Hills of Corn. — The left hill is from the left row in the pre- 
vious cut (fig. 21) and the right hill is from the right row. Note the healthy, 
vigorous appearance of the stalks in the left hill as compared with those in the 
right. 









Fig. 21 

Fig. 23. A Hill of Corn.— These stalks both grew in the same hill but were 
separated a few inches in photographing. This right-hand stalkT'has 800 
brothers and sisters scattered throughout the field which came from the same 





Fig. 22 



Fig. 23 



ear of seed as did this one. The kernels from some ears of corn produce a large 
proportion of weak stalks. 



24 



CORN SECRETS 



Fig. 24. Two Stalks From a Hill Separated for Photographing. — The 
two kernels from which these stalks grew were dropped side by side in the same 
hill at the same instant. 

Why this difference at laying-by time? This weak stalk had a poor start 
and never recovered. The larger one shaded it and stole the moisture and 
nourishment because of its more extensive roots. 




Fig. 24 




Fig. 25 

Fig. 25. These Three Ears Grew in the Same Hill. — Why is ear No. 1 
so much smaller than ear No. 3? Difference in soil? No. Cultivation? No. 
Depth of planting? No. It can be due to none of these reasons, for all three 
kernels were dropped at the same time, at the same depth, and being in the 
same hill had exactly the same care. What then is the cause? It is due to the 
difference in parents. The three kernels from which these three ears came 
were taken from three different ears. The kernel which produced ear No. 1 
was weak. Remember that this nubbin has 800 sister ears scattered here and 
there throughout the field. This means not only 800 nubbiny stalks this year 
but 800 nubbin stalks have been perpetuated, i. e., projected into the future, 
by distributing tens of millions of grains of pollen over the field to fertilize the 
silks. You haven't any of this kind? Try it and see. Plant this spring say 
fifty of what appears to be your choicest ears each ear in a separate row side 
by side. Watch them through the summer and harvest each separately in the 
fall. 

Testing each ear will do more to get rid of the nubbin producing ears than 
any and all other things put together. The weak nubbiny stalks were weak 
when the kernels first sprouted and "once a runt, always a runt." If they are 
behind at the start they are at a constant disadvantage from being shaded 
and deprived of food by the stronger ones. 



CORN SECRETS 



25 



Gathering the Seed 

The Secret of Harvesting and Storing Seed Corn 

Fig. 1. Harvesting the Seed Corn for Next Year's Planting. — Every ear 
of corn intended for planting should be harvested before the severe fall freezes, 
and stored where it will dry out and keep dry. 
In Iowa and the northern half of Illinois this 
work should be done the last ten days of Sep- 
tember and the first four or five days of Oc- 
tober. Frozen seed corn costs the country 
millions of dollars every year. 

A Convenient Method of Gathering the 
Seed as One Passes Between the Rows. — Use 
an 01 dinary two bushel grain sack ; a wooden 
hoop from a nail keg is put in the top of the 
sack. Some heavy cord, fourteen inches long 
(binding twine doubled several times) is tied 
to one of the bottom corners of the sack; the 
other end of the cord is then brought over 
the shoulder and tied to the hoop in the 
top of the sack. The cord is wrapped with 
an old sack to prevent the string cutting the 
shoulder. 

Fig. 2. Tying up the Seed Corn. Putting 
in the First Ear. — A piece of binding twine 
is doubled and the ends tied together. Note 
how the string is held in the hands. 

Fig. 3. Putting in the Second Ear. — Notice that the left hand is run through 
between the two strands of binding twine held in the right hand. The hands 





Fig. 2 



Fig. 3 



are now brought back and the man standing is ready for the third ear, fifth 
ear, etc., as shown in the next figure. 

Fig. 4. — The left hand is again run through the strings in the right hand, 
and reversed. 

Fig. 5. Showing the String of Corn Completed Ready to be Hung up 
Where it will Dry Out and Keep Dry. — When the last ear is laid in, one end of 
the string is slipped under the string in the other hand, and fastened. 

Fig. 6. Commencing on the Second String. — Tie and hang up the seed the 
same day or evening that it is brought in. This method of tying up allows a 



26 



CORN SECRETS 



free circulation of air. It is circulation of air, not heat that is needed to dry- 
out the seed. Corn commonly contains at this time from thirty to forty-five 
per cent, of water. It requires but a few minutes to tie up 300 or 400 ears. 




Don't leave them on the porch for the chickens to get at, or in a pile where 
they will mold or freeze before they are dry. TIE and HANG up at once. 

Fig. 7. — Experiments show that the attic or some up-stairs room where 

the windows can be opened to give 
circulation of air during October and 
November, is the best place to hang 
seed corn. A space 3x8 feet will 
hold 200 strings of seed corn like the 
above or enough to plant 200 acres. 
Discard three-fourths of it in the 
spring and there is left sufficient to 





^"?HKU 



Fig. (i Fig- " 

plant fifty acres, or more than the average acreage on each farm. Hang the 
strings in rows four inches apart each way. 



CORN SECRETS 27 

Secret of Corn Cultivation 

The Selection and Preparation of the Soil and Planting 

It will be understood by everyone that methods will vary greatly with 
different climates and different soils. There are no iron-clad rules which can 
be followed blindly in the growing of corn. 

Frequently two very different methods may give similar results. How- 
ever, there are certain principles which will apply under all conditions. 

It should be the motto of every corn grower to have good ground, to do 
his work on time and to do it thoroughly. 

The Secret of Good Soil. — What is needed is more clover, a better use of 
barnyard manure and a rotation of crops which shall include clover. 

Nothing can make up for poor ground. Too many are trying to grow 
corn on worn-out land that has produced corn and oats for years. A man at an 
institute in Illinois said in all seriousness that he was satisfied that the seasons 
were less favorable for growing corn than they used to be, as he could get no 
such crops as he formerly raised. It developed that he had grown corn for 
seventeen years in succession on the same piece of ground. No wonder "the 
seasons were becoming less favorable." 

The fact is that the time is near at hand when we must pay greater atten- 
tion to the fertility of our soil, to the conserving and restoring of the elements 
of plant food, or we shall soon be compelled to pay out millions of dollars each 
year for these elements in the form of commercial fertilizers. 

The tremendous importance attached to this question of plant food can- 
not be appreciated by those who have had no experience in using commercial 
fertilizers. 

The Secret of Fall Plowing for Corn. — There is a great diversity of opinion 
regarding the merits of fall and spring plowing, even in the same neighborhood . 
Among the advantages of fall plowing may be named the following : 

1. The work can be done at the dullest time of the year when both men 
and teams would otherwise be idle. 

2. Having the ground already plowed in the spring gives us time better 
to prepare the soil, and, what is of equally great importance, to get our corn in 
on time. 

3. Better preparation and a warmer seed bed insure a better stand of corn. 

4. Fall plowing lessens the danger from insect injuries, especially in the 
case of sod ground. 

5. Weeds are prevented from seeding, and the seeds already in the ground 
will mostly germinate and be killed by the fall freezes before seeding. This 
is especially true of early fall plowing. 

Some of the disadvantages of fall plowing are : 

1 . Occasional losses from blowing and washing. 

2. Unless the ground plowed in the fall is disced early in the spring there 
is loss of moisture and a consequent "firing" of the corn during the latter part 
of July and August, especially in dry seasons. 

3. Fall plowing does not give as good an opportunity to spread manure 
during the late summer and through the winter. 

Recently the Soils Department of the Iowa State College conducted 
experiments with fall and spring plowing in different parts of the state, and in 



28 CORN SECRETS 

every case the yield of corn was greater on the fall than on the spring plowed 
land. The evidence is generally in favor of fall plowing in the corn belt. 

Fall Plowing Often Neglected. — The mistake is commonly made of leaving 
the fall-plowed ground without discing until time to plant. By spring the 
ground has become packed by snows and rains and should be disced or at least 
harrowed as soon as oat seeding is over. This will conserve the moisture and 
prevent the "firing" of the corn in August, that so often follows fall plowing. 

Ground that is very rolling and likely to wash should not be plowed in the 
fall. Early fall plowing is generally advisable where the stubble ground is 
very weedy. 

Where the area put into corn is large, and the corn planting period is 
short, it is the best kind of management to fall plow all stubble and sod ground. 

It may sometimes be advisable to leave some ground for spreading manure 
on during the winter. In this case it had better be the clover sod than timothy 
or bluegrass. 

Where clover is seeded with the oats or barley for fertilizing purposes, or 
where rape is sown in the oats for fall feed, it will, of course, be necessary to 
plow late in the fall. 

The Secret of Early Spring Discing. — The fall-plowed ground is generally 
neglected in the spring and left to dry out, while the weeds get a good start, 
robbing the ground of moisture and food. Not only should the fall-plowed 
ground be disced as soon as the oat seeding is over, but the corn-stalk ground 
as well. When corn-stalk ground is disced early in the spring, the moisture 
is saved, the stubs and stalks are cut up and mixed with the soil, and as a 
consequence are less bother during the cultivation, and a better seed bed is 
secured. If not disced, the surface is turned to the bottom of the furrow in a 
lumpy condition, where neither the harrow, disc nor cultivator can reach it. 

Better Treatment of Spring Plowing. — We often abuse our spring-plowed 
land by turning up the furrows to the sun and dry winds to bake and dry out, 
depending on a shower to mellow the ground at planting time. It is a good 
rule never to leave the field either at noon or at night without first harrowing 
the ground that has been plowed. 

There is seldom any advantage in plowing more than six inches deep 
either in spring or fall. If ground is to be plowed deeper than formerly it 
should be done in the fall. On heavy soils the bad effects of too deep plowing 
is often apparent for several years. 

Secret of Early Planting. — We should bear in mind that one of the most 
serious losses each year to the corn crop is due to late planting. The experi- 
ments show that late planted corn seldom yields as much as the earlier planted, 
and the quality is inferior. The ground becomes hard and out of condition, 
the weeds have drawn upon the moisture and available plant food, the corn 
comes to the dry spell in August at a more critical stage, and it matures slowly, 
contains more water and is much more likely to be caught by frost. 

Many Plant Too Deep. — Too deep planting is especially bad when the seed 
is weak, and the spring cold and backward. When the ground is not well 
prepared, or is very mellow, there is danger of putting the seed down four or 
five inches, when two inches would be better. Especial care should be taken 
in early planting when the ground is still cold. 

Where the same seed was planted in two different fields, giving a good 



CORN SECRETS 



29 



stand in one case and a very poor stand in the other, investigation showed 
that the poor stand was due to deep planting. Corn is generally planted deeper 
than we think. The planter wheels frequently sink into the ground two or 
more inches and the corn is covered another two inches. The planter tracks 
are then filled by harrowing, and the corn is often more than four inches deep. 
We usually watch the depth carefully for a few rounds when we start the planter 
and then pay no more attention to it. The soil is generally mellower as 
we get away from the head land, and consequently the corn is planted deeper 
than we supposed. The following illustrations show the results of deep and 
shallow planting: 

Fig. 1. Kernels Planted One, Two, Four, Six and Fight Inches Deep. — Not 

only do many kernels fail to grow when 
planted too deep, but those that come 
up are weaker, often producing no ears. 




SURFACF 









a 



Fig. 1 



Fig. 2 



Fig. 2. Fffect of Deep and Shallow Planting, (a) planted two inches 
deep; (b) planted six inches deep. — Many are careless in planting and get the 
seed too deep. This is especially bad when the ground is cold and wet. Even 
when the ground is warm, the results are not so good as when the seed is put two 
to two and one-half inches deep. Twenty kernels of strong seed were planted 
on warm, sandy soil June 30th. Ten of the kernels were planted two inches 
deep (a) and ten were planted six inches deep (6) . All ten kernels of the two-inch 
planting came up quickly and gave strong plants, as shown in the illustration. 
Only four of the ten kernels planted six inches deep came up and they were 
several days later appearing. The other six kernels sprouted but could not 
push their way to the surface, the sprouts doubling back as shown at (c) . 

The Secret of Straight Rows and Even Checking. — The yield of corn is 
often reduced and the work of cultivation made difficult and slow, because of 
carelessness in handling the planter. Uneven checking may be due to several 
causes. In the case of short fields we generally draw the wire too tight and the 
planter checks too quick both ways. On long fields we are apt to check ahead 
owing to the slack in the wire, and this is especially true where the tongue of 
the planter is raised too high and the team is fast. 

In the case of irregular shaped fields, the checking is frequently bad. This 
is especially true where the ends of the field are not at right angles with the 
rows. In this case there will be a jog every four rows, depending on how much 
the field is out of square. 



30 CORN SECRETS 

Carelessness in setting the anchor is the cause of much poor checking. 
It is a common practice to draw the wire to about a certain tightness at both 
ends of the field. It is a much better plan always to draw the anchor back at 
one end of the field to a definite line indicated by stakes, while at the other 
end it should simply be drawn until the wire has a certain tightness. 

The Secret of Keeping Ground in Good Condition. — Many think that there 
is nothing to do for two weeks after the corn is planted or until it is up and 
large enough for the first cultivation. There are others who believe in harrow- 
ing, and even in cultivation before the corn is up, but on account of the 
pressure of work neglect it. Where ground is left untouched for two weeks 
and often longer, it becomes fouled with weeds, which take up moisture and 
plant food and make it difficult to work the corn. The ground is packed by 
the rains and baked by the sun, until it becomes hard and dry, and out of 
condition. 

It is especially important in the growing of corn that it be not stunted 
when young, as it never fully recovers even under the most favorable condi- 
tions. 

We should keep a good, mellow, lively tilth until the corn shades the 
ground, and prevents the rain and sun from beating upon it, and making it 
hard and dry. 

The time to kill weeds is before they come up and before ■•they have 
deprived the corn of moisture and nourishment. 

The Secret of Blind Cultivation. — Where it is possible to do so it is a good 
plan to cultivate the corn once before it comes up, following the marks made 
by the planter wheels. This is known as "blind cultivation." The cultivator 
shovels should be set so as to throw the dirt slightly away from the row. It 
is generally best to follow with the harrow in the same direction within two or 
three days. If the field is small so that the cultivation can be finished before 
the corn breaks through the surface, it is well enough to wait until the field 
is all cultivated, and then cross it with the harrow instead of following close 
behind the cultivator. However, in the case of large fields, it is best to follow 
the cultivator with the harrow. 

It is a common practice with some to harrow corn after it is up, but I prefer 
to cultivate and harrow as described above, and especially on corn-stalk 
ground where the old stubs catch more or less in the teeth. Even on oat 
stubble ground the harrow does considerable damage to the young corn. No 
one can afford to do less than to thoroughly loosen the ground before the corn 
comes up. It is a serious mistake to let our corn ground once get out of condi- 
tion in the spring. 

The Secret of Shallow Cultivation at "Laying by" Time. — It is also a very 
common mistake to cultivate shallow when the corn is small and lay it by with 
a deep cultivation. The reverse would be more profitable. There is little 
danger to the roots from the first deep cultivation, and there is a great advan- 
tage in going deep enough to secure a good mulch. 

The succeeding cultivations should be no deeper than is necessary to keep 
the ground clean. "Many cultivate corn as though the roots went straight 
down" instead of spreading out through the surface of the soil. It is very 
essential that we disturb the roots as little as possible when the corn is "laid 
by." We are very apt to feel that as this is our last chance at the corn, we 



CORN SECRETS 



31 



must give it a deep cultivation, especially if the weeds have gotten a start. 
This is a mistake. Cultivation should be level and frequent. It may be 
deep at first but must be shallow later. 

Fig. 3. — "Many cultivate corn as though the roots went straight." 



IP 




Fig. 3 

Fig. 4. — Four hills of corn at earing time, in natural position in the field, 
three feet eight inches apart. The surface soil was washed off as deep as the 
ground was plowed in the spring, exposing the roots. Few realize how com- 













%.:-.4K-^ 


■ ■ . . ■■ ■ ■ 

- 





pletely the ground is filled with the corn roots. Thorough early cultivation 
before the roots have developed is important. Experiments show that deep 
cultivation at the time of "laying by" greatly reduces the yield, especially 
when the first and second cultivation were shallow, thus allowing the roots to 
come near the surface. (Photograph by Prof. A. D. Showel.) 



32 CORN SECRETS 

Corn Enemies 

Their Methods of Attack. How to Detect and Destroy Them 

The enemies of corn may be classed under three heads, as follows : 

i. Insects such as corn-root worm, corn-root aphis or louse, cutworms, 

wireworms, white-grubs, corn bill bugs, sod web-worms, seed corn maggot, 

ear-worm, grain-moth, weevil, etc. 

2. Animals, such as gophers, squirrels and moles. Birds. 

3. Fungous diseases, such as corn-smut, maize rust, leaf -blight, dry mold, 
rot, etc. Only those enemies which cause the greatest losses and which can be 
either entirely or partially prevented will be discussed here. 

The Northern Corn-Root Worm. — The damage done by the northern 
corn-root worm is enormous. The remedy is simple, complete and inex- 
pensive. Let me plead with every farmer to make a careful study of this, the 
most serious of the enemies of corn. This little white enemy is so very small 
and does its work under the ground in the roots of the corn, unobserved, and 
does it so gradually, that few people have any knowledge of the insect or of the 
tremendous damage it inflicts upon the corn crop every year. During the 
past ten years I have made careful study of the work of this insect, examining 
thousands of corn-fields throughout the corn belt, and I have been constantly 
surprised at the enormous losses which it causes, and yet, with three exceptions, 
I have never found a man who knew what ailed his corn until he was shown. 
One example will serve as an illustration of what has happened scores of times 
in my examination of corn-fields. During the latter part of July, Professor 
Mosher and I were securing specimens from a field (see fig. 1). The renter 
came over to see what we were doing, and it is needless to say that he was 
greatly surprised when we showed him the 465 worms which we had taken 
from the roots and surrounding dirt of one single hill of corn. The field did 
not yield to exceed fifteen or twenty bushels per acre of very poor quality 
corn, and he was obliged to give half of this as rent. 

Next to "bad seed" the northern corn-root worm is the greatest source 
of loss to the corn belt. It certainly does more damage than all the other 
corn insects put together. 

Habits. — The eggs are laid mostly during August and September and 
hatch in the following June and the first part of July. The worm is white and 
when full grown is about one-third of an inch in length and as large around as 
a pin. As soon as hatched, the worm enters the roots of the corn, and burrows 
back and forth, lengthwise, through the root, just under the outside covering. 
Sometimes five or six worms will be found in one root. Frequently 200 or 
300 will be found in a single hill. The roots thus affected turn brown and 
finally die and rot off, leaving short stubs. The stalk is thus deprived of 
moisture and nourishment, and after a rain, when the ground is soft and a 
heavy wind prevails, often goes down badly, particularly in those places most 
affected. 

Generally the little white worm will have reached its full size by the latter 
part of July and the first of August, when it pupates and in a few days comes 
out as a small beetle, light or yellowish green in color at first, but soon turning 
to a grass-green. It distributes itself throughout the field and migrates to 
others, feeding on the silks, and the corn at the tips of the ears, especially 



CORN SECRETS 33 

where the husks have been broken open and the corn injured by the birds, 
ear-worms, etc. 

There are two very significant facts which should be known by every 
farmer. 

i. The worm subsists almost entirely upon the roots of corn, sorghum 
being the only exception which has come under my personal observation. It 
refuses to eat the roots of oats, wheat, grass or clover. 

2. The beetles always lay their eggs in the corn-field, never in a meadow 
pasture, or oat-field. The eggs are deposited in the ground near the hills of 
corn. 

Many hundred fields of corn have been examined, but in no case did I find 
any damage from the northern corn-root worm, where corn followed some 
other crop, as pasture, clover, oats, wheat, etc. The second crop of corn was 
damaged considerably, except in a few sections where corn is not the principal 
crop. But where corn has been grown more than two years on the same ground, 
consecutively, the damage was always serious, and in many cases the yield 
was reduced to fifteen or twenty bushels to the acre, and this, too, in some 
instances where the ground had been manured in the winter, before the plowing 
in the spring. 

Indications of Its Work. The indications are, i . — The falling down of the 
corn during the latter part of July and August, especially in the spot most 
affected and after a rain followed by a wind ; later the stalks will curve upward, 
giving them a sled -runner or rainbow appearance. 

2. The corn will have an uneven growth, certain patches being especially 
poor and making a slow advance during the latter part of June and first part of 
July. The plants will also have a yellow or sickly appearance and seem to 
stand still. 

3. The presence of the worm itself, which can be determined by pulling up 
a hill of corn and breaking open the roots. 

4. The appearance of the roots. When one root has been destroyed, the 
worm attacks -another. Often every principal root and the brace roots are 
completely destroyed, while in fields not so badly affected only a portion of the 
roots are destroyed; others will have a dark appearance and, when split open, 
will show the burrows of the worms, although the worm may have left the root 
some time before. 

5. Ease with which the stalks may be lifted out of the ground, even with 
one hand. It will require considerable effort to pull up a healthy hill of corn 
with both hands. Often the stalks fall flat upon the ground and die. 

6. The firing of the corn during the dry weather of July and August. 

7. The large number of stalks in the field with no ears or with very poor 
ones. 

8. The presence in the corn-field, especially in the silks at the tips of the 
ears, during August and September, of a large number of small green beetles, 
about twice as large as the head of a pin. They are most numerous during 
August, although they may be seen as late as October in late planted fields. 

9. The corn is often retarded in growth and matures late and is often 
injured by frost as a consequence. Where the corn falls down badly, it rots 
before husking time. 

10. The corn in the ear is light and chaffy and often moldy. 



34 CORN SECRETS 

Remedy. — The remedy is rotation of crops, never growing more than two 
crops of corn continuously on the same ground- If the corn went down con- 
siderably in August, especially in spots, if the stalks can be pulled up readily 
and the roots are badly rotted off, if there are many barren stalks or stalks with 
poor ears, and if the field has been in corn two years consecutively, it should go 
into some other crop for at least one year, or better still, seeded down and left 
one or two years in clover. 

The Aphis or Corn-root Louse. — Next to the root worm, the corn-root 
louse causes probably more loss each year to the corn crop than any other 
insect pest. The lice are smaller than the head of a pin, blue-green in color and 
appear in clusters on the roots of the corn. They are always found associated 
with ants, which act as guardians, protecting them and carrying them to the 
roots of the corn. The lice pierce the root covering with their sharp beaks and 
suck the juices which should go to build up the plant. When disturbed by the 
ants they exude a sweetish substance called " honey dew" from their two honey 
tubes, and upon this the ants feed. 

The root louse does its greatest damage on old, badly worn fields, especially 
if they have been in corn for several years. It is generally worse on low, damp 
ground, because of the fact that the ants transfer the lice to the roots of the 
smartweed and foxtail during the latter part of the season when the corn roots 
have become hard and woody. 

It is difficult to keep the low, wet places free from weeds, and hence they 
become the breeding places of the root lice and ants. 

The greatest damage is done when the corn is small. The lice often attack 
the root as soon as the corn sprouts and kill it before it comes up. The plant 
generally lives, however, but makes a slow, feeble growth. The indications 
of lice are: 

i. The presence of ants in the field with ant holes in the hills of corn, often 
made before the corn is up. 

2. A slow growth of the corn in spots through the field, when it is small, 
the corn having a sickly, yellow appearance. Where the lice are particularly 
bad, the corn will have a purple tinge, toward the tips of the leaves, and the 
stems or stalks will have a reddish color. 

3. The corn is so held back that it matures late in the fall, often being 
caught by the frost. 

4. The yield is greatly reduced and the quality of the corn is poor. 
Remedy. — The remedies are: 1. Rotation of crops. 2. Clean cultivation 

in low places. 3. Harrowing or cultivating the ground before the corn comes up 
and again while the plant is small. This hinders the ants in transferring the 
lice and their eggs to the roots and also stimulates the corn to more rapid 
growth. 4. Manuring the ground. This gives a vigorous growth and en- 
ables the corn better to withstand the drain caused by the lice. 

Successfully Combating Insect Pests. — Every one is familiar with the work 
of the corn-ear worm, sometimes also called the cotton-boll worm, tobacco-bud 
worm, etc. This worm is found distributed throughout the United States. 
Its greatest damage has been done in the South, where it works on corn, 
cotton, tobacco, beans and other plants. The damage has been unusually 
great during the past year throughout the corn belt. The worm is especially 
fond of sweet corn and frequently injures it to such an extent that the canning 



CORN SECRETS 



35 



factories are obliged to shut down. There are from three to five broods each 
year. They pass the winter in the ground in the pupa stage, and come out in 
the spring as moths to lay their eggs. The first brood eats the leaves of corn 
and other plants, the second brood eats the corn silk and tassels, and the third 
brood eats into the end of the ears of corn and works back and forth. The 
actual damage done by the ear-worm itself is not so great as the injury result- 
ing from other insects, and from mold, rot, etc., which follow up the work of 
the worm. There is no known remedy which is successful. In the South it is 
claimed that fall plowing of the badly infested corn ground exposes the pupa to 
the freezing weather, killing many of them. 




Fig. l 



Fig. 2 



Fig. i. Work of the Northern u Corn-root Worm. — This field has been in 
corn continuously for several years. The corn-root worm probably causes 
more loss to the corn belt every year than all other insects put together. 
Remedy: Do not put more than two 
successive crops of corn on the same 
ground. 

Fig. 2. — The owner of this field did 
not know why his corn went down so 
badly. He ought to have forty-five 
bushels per acre, but he will not get to 
exceed fifteen to twenty and it will be 
chaffy and light. The corn-root worm 
is responsible for the difference. 

Fig- 3- — The stalks when attacked 
by the corn-root worm frequently fall 
down flat on the ground and die. There 
were thousands of them in this field 
August 1 2th. There were thousands of 
others whose roots have been injured 
so that they will not produce ears, and 
thousands of others will bear nothing 
but nubbins. 

Fig. 4. — Average stalks from two 
different fields. The left one is from a 
field in corn for the third or fourth consecutive time where the corn-root worm 
had become well established. The right one from a first sod field. Notice the 
difference in the condition of the root system on these two stalks. Nearly 




Fig. 3 



36 



CORN SECRETS 



every root on the left has been destroyed by the corn-root worm. It was 
pulled up with no effort, while it required a great deal of effort to pull the other 
stalk whose roots had not been injured. 

Fig. 5. — The left stalk from second year corn. The right stalk from field 
five or six years in corn. The roots are 
completely eaten away by the root worm. 




Fig. 4 



Fig. 5 



Fig. 6. — The original root system was destroyed by the root worm and 
the stalk blew over the latter part of July. It is doing its best to recover. 
The brace roots have taken hold again and are supplying some food to the 
stalk which is trying to regain an erect position. 





Fig. 6 



Fig. 



Fig. 7. — These roots were split through the center lengthwise with a knife, 
(a) shows end of root completely destroyed so that it is a mere stub and dead. 
By examining carefully it will be seen that the worms worked just under the 
outer covering of the root until they came to the tip when they bored into the 



CORN SECRETS 



37 



middle, destroying it. (6) shows a healthy root to the point of (c) where it 
was eaten off. To make up for this loss a mass of roots have been developed 
above (c) to help nourish the plant. 

Fig. 8. — A corn root split lengthwise exposing a small white worm at the 
point (a) which can be seen by examining the illus- 
tration carefully. This is the corn-root worm. 




Fig 8 



Fig. 9 



Fig. 10 



Fig. 9. — Root split open exposing worms at (a) and (c). The root is 
completely eaten off at (b) ; (d) rootlets sent out to help repair the damage. 

Fig. 10. — Root split open showing worms at (a), (b) and (c) just under the 
outer covering of the root. 

The worms are hard to see as they are white like the fibre of the root itself; 
small, being one-half or one-quarter inches in length, not larger around than a 
needle, and sluggish in movement. 

When the worms have bored around and around 
the root, girdling it, the roots turn brown and the 
outside comes off easily when disturbed. 

Fig. 11. — Corn-root Worm Pupating. — During 
July and the first part of August when the worm has 
completed its growth, it comes out of the roots and 
in some way forms a little lump of dirt around it- 
self as large as the end of the little finger. The 
illustration shows three of these lumps of dirt broken 
open exposing the little white worm which, in a few 
days, will have changed into a beetle about the size 
of a cucumber beetle or of a small grain of wheat. It 
then comes out of the ground and in a day or so 
will change from white to yellow and then to green, 
when it will be found feeding on the silks of the ears and the pollen of the 
tassels. 




Fig. 11 




z 

Fig. 12 

Fig. 12. Different Stages in the Growth of the Corn-root Worm. — (a) 
shows larva or worm enlarged nine times; (2) shows actual size. This is about 



38 



CORN SECRETS 



as it looks during the last part of June and the first part of July when it is 
three-fourths grown and doing the greatest damage by eating back and forth 
just under the outer covering of the root, and frequently eating through the 
center of the root. (6) full-grown worm which has crawled out of the root into 
the earth and is ready to pupate, i. e., change into a beetle, (c) thickened up 
and in the first stages of pupating, (d) (see also fig. 1 1 just preceding this cut) 
shows the pupa more advanced in its little pocket or lump of earth. One 
edge or side of the lump of earth has been broken off exposing the pupa. 






Fig. 13. — (e) pupa developing wings; it will 
soon come out as a beetle; (x) actual size; (/) the 
beetle enlarged ten times; (y) actual size. In the 



Fig. 12 




Fig. 13 



corn belt the beetles begin to appear the last of July, varying considerably 
with the season and latitude. During August and September they are to be 
found by the thousands in the corn-fields and especially in those that have 



CORN SECRETS 



39 



been in corn two or three or more years continuously. As many as sixty- 
five or seventy have been found in the silks of a single ear. They are also 
found in great numbers on thistle and sunflower blossoms near affected fields. 

Fig. 14. — Roots split open lengthwise showing the work of the root worm, 
(a) healthy root not damaged; (6) and (c) show how the worm works 
just under the cover of the roots. The roots soon die and rot off. (d) the 
worm usually works through the middle of the roots, especially the young 
tender roots and the ends of the older roots which are also tender, (w), (x) 
and (y) , worm at work exposed by splitting open the roots. 




Fig. 14 



Fig. 15. The Corn Worm Does its Work Unobserved. — (a) a healthy 
root; (b) shows path of the worm through the root; the end of this root was 
eaten off. (/) shows the outer covering of the injured root peeling off ; (d) and (e) 
show the root worm at work. It is not an uncommon thing to find 200 of 
these worms in a single hill of corn. Recently 465 were dug from one hill. 
The root worm, like the white plague, does its work so quietly and unobserved 
that we are not aware of its terrible ravages. 

Fig. 16. Southern Corn-root Worm. — The southern corn-root worm 
does not lay its eggs in the fall as in the case of the northern corn-root worm 
beetle, but lives through the winter and lays its eggs in the corn-field after 



40 



CORN SECRETS 



the corn has come up. The worm works in exactly the same way as the 
northern corn-root worm. The beetle is yellow with twelve black spots and 
is about twice the size of the northern corn-root beetle. 

It does considerable damage in the southern part of the corn belt (Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and some damage in Southern Ohio, 
Indiana and Illinois), as it waits until spring when the corn is up to lay its 

eggs so that it cannot be headed 
off by rotation of crops as in the 
case of the northern corn-root 
worm. 

The total damage, however, 
to the corn belt from the south- 
ern corn-root worm is small as 
compared with that of the north- 
ern corn-root worm. 




Fig. 15 




Fig. 17. The Corn-root Louse, or Aphis, and its Guardian the Ant. — 
There are several generations during the summer. After the first generation 
some of the lice may have wings, (a) and (b) are females, the spring and 
summer generations, producing their young alive; (e) egg; (x) honey tubes; 





Fig. 18 



(d) the ant which cares for the egg and lice and in turn receives a portion of its 
food from the lice ; (c) females of the late summer and autumn generations 
which lay eggs that hatch early the following spring. 

Fig. 18. — The ants carry the lice to the roots of the corn. The early 
spring generation of lice are helpless, depending for existence on the care given 
them by the ants. 



CORN SECRETS 



41 



Fig. 19. Corn Ear-Worm. — An ear of sweet corn with the husks stripped 
back showing the ear-worm and its work. 




Fig. 19 



Fig. 20 



Fig. 20. — Another view of the ear-worm and its work, (a) worm at 
work ; (b) places eaten out by the worm. 



42 CORN SECRETS 

Judging Corn 

Points to be Considered in Corn Contests 

If both the exhibitor and the judge at a corn show will bear in mind a 
few fundamental facts about corn and corn shows, there will be fewer mis- 
understandings and mistakes and greater progress. 

The best ear of corn is that ear which will, when planted, give the greatest 
profits per acre year after year. The best ear of "corn for seed is also the best 
ear for the show. The judge should place the blue ribbon on that ear or on 
that sample of corn which he would select to plant year after year on his own 
farm, if he lived in the district from which the exhibits are made. 

In picking out his samples for the show the exhibitor should lay his ears 
out side by side on tables or planks where he can study and compare them. 

Judging Corn a Difficult Task. Judging corn is not merely a matter of 
picking out the samples which look best, etc. Perhaps there is no line of 
judging work which is so difficult or requires such intimate knowledge of condi- 
tions. 

Let me illustrate. Suppose that the judge at the state show judges and 
places ribbons on a class of corn which was labeled southern district of the 
state, but later finds that it was wrongly labeled and it was in reality from the 
northern district; will his placings be right for the northern district? No. 
The sample he has placed first in the southern district, and perhaps rightly 
too, might be almost a total failure in the northern district. The work of the 
judge is made'all the more difficult from the fact that the classes often include 
different varieties and a wide range of territory and climate. 

The judge should bear in mind that there is no one best type of corn for all 
localities and conditions. The real question in the mind of the judge should 
be, Is this sample or that sample the one which is best, i. e., the one which will 
give the greatest profits to the majority of the people in the district under their 
conditions of soil, climate, drainage, methods of growing, etc.? 

The Importance of Right Placing. The judge should realize the importance 
of right placing or judging of the samples. If the people in the vicinity have 
confidence in the judge, there will be dozens and sometimes hundreds who will 
purchase seed of the prize winner, and still others who will buy of the person 
who bought of the winner. I know of communities and sections of a state 
which have lost thousands and tens of thousands of dollars simply because the 
judge placed the blue ribbon on corn entirely unsuited to their soil and climate. 
On the other hand, I could give instances where the decision of the judge 
brought into prominence types of corn that have not merely made many 
thousands of dollars but millions for the people. 

Four Questions. There are four fundamental questions which the 
exhibitor must ask himself in selecting his corn for the show or for seed. 
These are the four questions which the judge must also ask himself in placing 
the corn: 

i. Will it yield, will it produce, has it constitution, vigor, hardiness? 
Among the things which go to indicate good yield are size, shape, solidity 
and weight of ear, depth of kernel, size of germ, fullness of tip, of kernel, etc. 

2. Will it mature; i. e., ripen, not only this year, but every year in the 
region or district in which it is grown or entered for show? Immaturity will 



CORN SECRETS 43 

be indicated by too large nn ear, too deep a kernel, sappiness, chaffiness, dull, 
starchy appearance, etc. 

3. Will it grow; i. e., will it germinate, giving strong, vigorous plants 
which will stand unfavorable conditions in the spring and summer? 

Indications of good vitality are a clear, clean, bright, smooth, horny 
kernel with a large chit or heart. It is a good indication to find a white brittle 
germ when the kernel is opened with the knife. It is a bad sign to find a germ 
pasty or cheesy in appearance or of a yellow or dark color. Ears that are 
chaffy, starchy or of a dull appearance are questionable, depending largely 
on the method of harvesting and storing. 

The exhibitor can settle the third question as to whether or not it will 
germinate strongly, by testing six or eight kernels from each ear in advance of 
the show. When possible to do so the judge should test the corn at the show 
before awarding the premium, as has been done recently at the larger shows. 

4. Does it show improvement? Has it years of careful selection or breed- 
ing back of it? Has it been mixed with brains so that it will reproduce uni- 
formly in type, in time of maturity, in size and shape of both ears and kernels? 

The judge will be successful in proportion to his ability to see in the 
samples of corn before him just what they will actually produce in profit the 
next year and the next year, and so on, when grown by the people of the district 
from which the entries are made. 

Secrets of the Score Card. What is the score card? The score card is a 
concise statement of the points and their relative value, to be considered in 
selecting the best ear or the best group of ears. 

The reason for having such a statement of details is not to furnish a 
mechanical method of judging corn, but rather to assist the grower in selecting 
his seed, the judge in placing the samples and the student in his study of corn. 

The purposes, then, of the score card are : 1 . To aid the corn grower, 
the judge and the student in keeping in mind the fundamental things to be 
considered in selecting the most profitable ear or set of ears, with respect to 
yield, maturity, improvement and growing quality. 

2. To prevent the laying of too much stress on one or more of these points 
to the exclusion of others. 

3. To prevent the giving of undue importance to some merely trivial 
points, such as the filling of tips, straightness of rows, etc. 

4. To secure uniformity in methods of judging and studying corn so that 
there will be a clearer knowledge of what is good corn, and a better understand- 
ing between the exhibitor and the judge. 

Finally, the ultimate purpose of the score card is better corn; that is 
greater profits from each acre and for each day's labor put on that acre. The 
score card should not be followed blindly, or even mechanically, but intelligently, 
or it will do more harm than good. After all, the judge or the person select- 
ing his seed is the principal factor, and upon his knowledge and experience must 
depend the final decision as to whether this sample or that, whether this ear 
or that shall be selected for planting or be awarded first place. The score 
card can never take the place of knowledge and experience. 

The beginner will necessarily confine himself rather closely to the score 
card until he has become thoroughly familiar with all of the things which go to 
make up a good ear and a bad one, as well. 



44 



CORN SECRETS 



Corn Score Card 



Name of Scorer_ 



Place^ 



Number of Sample 




Date 
















I. WILL IT YIELD ? 25 POINTS. 

That is, will it yield well; has it constitution; can we depend on it even 
when conditions are unfavorable ? 






Perf. 
Score 


t 
i 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 ! 9 


10 


I 


Will it Yield ? 


25 
















| 




* 


Size of Ear % 6 


















1 
1 






Solidity or Heaviness 4 


























Depth of Kernels 3 


























Cheerfulness 3 


























Size of Germs 2 


























Fullness of Middle 2 


























Filling of Butts 1 


















1 






Filling of Tips 1 
























Space at Cob 1 


























Furrows Between Rows 1 


























Size and Condition of Cob 1 






















II. WILL IT RIPEN ? 25 POINTS. 

That is, will it mature; will it ripen every year; is it safe for the locality ? 






Perf. 
Score 


i 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 9 


10 


II 


Will it Ripen ? 


25 
























Size of Ear 6 


























Depth of Kernels 4 


























Sappiness 3 


























Chaffiness 3 


























Starchiness 3 


























Size of Cob 2 


























Plumpness of Tips of Kernels 2 


























Adherence of Chaff to 

Tip Caps of Kernels 1 


























Adherence of Tip Caps to Cob 1 

























* Under the head of "Will it Yield?" are given several points such as Size of Ear, 
Solidity, Depth of Kernels, etc. These are simply indications that it will or will not yield 
well. In a like manner under the other headings "Will it Ripen?" "Will it Grow?" etc., 
are a number of indications. 

fThe figures 1, 2, 3 to 10 at the top of the page refer to the different samples being 
judged. No. 1 may be Mr. Smith's sample, No. 2 Mr. Brown's, No. 3 Mr. Jones', etc. 

I The figures 6, 4, 3, 3, 2, etc., are to indicate the relative importance of the different 
points or "indications." 

Fig. 1 



CORN SECRETS 



45 



III. WILL IT GROW ? 25 POINTS. 

That is, has it vitality ; will it germinate ; will it all grow and grow uni- 
formly, giving strong, vigorous plants? 







Perf. 
Score 


l 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


10 


Ill 


Will it Grow? 


25 
























Color and Condition of 

Germ and Embryo 10 






Sappiness 3 


























Chaffiness 3 


























Starchiness 2 






Moldiness of Cob 1 




























Plumpness of Tips of Kernels 1 






Size of Germs 1 


























Smoothness of back of Kernels 1 



























Smoothness of Germs 1 






Adherence of Chaff 

to Tip Caps 1 


























Adherence of Tip Caps to Cob 1 

























IV. DOES IT SHOW IMPROVEMENT. 25 POINTS. 

That is, has it breeding; has it a distinct type; will it reproduce itself; 
has it several years of careful selection and improvement back of it? 







Perf. 
Score 


1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


10 


IV 


Does it Show Improvement? 


25 
























Purity of Color of 

Grain and Cob 10 


























Shape of Ear 3 


























Shape of Kernels 3 


























Uniformity in Size and 

Shape of Ear 3 


























Uniformity in Size and 

Shape of Kernels 3 


























Character of Dent 2 


























Straightness and Arrange- 
ment of Rows 1 
























Perf. 
Score 


1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


10 




Total Score 


100 
























Rank of Ear 

























Fig. 2 



4 6 



CORN SECRETS 



Fig. 3 



Will it yield 
" " ripen 
" " grow 

Does it show 


improvement= 


=25- 
=25- 
=25- 
=25- 


-24 
-16 

-24 
-20 




Total score 




84 



Class A 
Entry No. 10 
Place 3d 



Fig. 4 



Figs. 3 and 4. Entry Tag, i£x2 inches. — One side of the entry tag should 
have printed upon it the four main points of the score card. 




Fig. 5 



The other side should contain the entry number, etc. The most con- 
venient way to fasten the tag to the ear is by means of a rubber band 
slipped through the eye of the tag and around the ear. 




Fig. 6 

Fig. 5. — Samples of corn arranged ready for judging. 

Fig. 6. — Taking out two kernels from each ear and placing them on the 



CORN SECRETS 47 

table in front of the ear from which they were taken, germ side up. Do not 
pick the ears off the table to remove the kernels; let them remain on the table 
so that you can use both hands, and there will be less danger of misplacing the 
ears. 

Secret of Arranging Samples for Judging. A well-lighted room should 
always be provided for the corn exhibits. I cannot emphasize this too strongly. 
There should also be provided plenty of tables. Planks or boards laid over 
barrels or boxes will answer the purpose very well. 

The samples in each class should be laid out side by side with a little space 
between them. The ears are held in place by nails driven into the table. (See 
fig- 50 

Two or three kernels are now taken out of each ear and laid on the table 
in front of the ear, germ or heart side up. (See fig. 6.) 

The samples are now ready for the judge. 

When the judge has completed the judging he will fill out the entry tag 
as shown in figs. 3 and 4. The tag will show the exhibitor where his sample 
was most deficient and the rank or place given it in the class. In this particular 
case it shows that the sample was very immature and chaffy as it was 
marked on ripeness but sixteen out of the twenty-five points given for maturity 
and that he got third place. 

The Real Purpose of the Show is Education. — The management of the show, 
the judge and the exhibitors should not lose sight of the real purpose of a 
show, viz., education. A show is a failure unless the exhibitors and people 
of the community learn how to grow more and better corn. 



Selecting Seed Corn 

Explanation and Illustration of the Points to be Studied 

Fig. 1. — The frontispiece shows a Grand Champion ear of Reid's Yellow 
Dent corn. It is one of the best, if not the best, all-round ear of corn ever 
exhibited. It was grown by D. L. Pascal, of DeWitt, Iowa. Ten and one- 
quarter inches long; seven and seven-eighths inches circumference two inches 
from butt; six and seven-eighths inches circumference two inches from tip; 
weight nineteen ounces. 

Size of Ears. A good sized ear is essential to a good yield. It indicates 
that the ear comes from a strong, vigorous, healthy stalk and that in turn it 
will produce stalks and ears having a strong constitution and hardiness. No 
one would think of selecting for seed small, weak, puny-looking ears. Corn 
has been bred for the grain or ear until the proportion of corn to stalk is ab- 
normally high and consequently the tendency is for the ear to become smaller 
unless we select larger ears than we expect in the average of the crop. 

On the other hand, the greater danger lies in selecting too large ears and 
too large types of corn, and this is especially true of the northern half of the 
corn belt. For every dollar lost by growing corn that is too small or too early 
there are ten to twenty dollars lost from growing corn that is too large and too 
late in maturing. If the season is late and cold, or the frosts come too early, 
or if the seed is planted late in the spring, the grower has a lot of soft, chaffy, 
moldy, light corn. In addition to this it is very difficult to secure good seed 
from such corn for next year's crop. It is certain to be more or less frozen, 
moldy and weak, and to result in a poor stand and a poor crop. Large, sappy, 



48 CORN SECRETS 

immature ears fill the wagon-box rapidly, and we deceive ourselves into think- 
ing that we are getting a large yield. Corn of this kind often contains from 
thirty-five to forty-five per cent, of water. When the corn dries it is loose on 
the cob, chaffy and light. The little cells in the kernels are only partially 
filled with food and are dull and chalky, or starchy, instead of bright, hard, 
heavy and rich in appearance. The corn is apt to spoil, especially in the 
bottom of the crib, i. e., burns out, and it is unpalatable to stock. The grower 
of such corn is required to sell at a greatly reduced price. What we want is 
corn that will be safe every year. Remember that two small ears weighing but 
ten ounces each, to each hill will make sixty -four bushels per acre, or double the 
average yield. Three of them will give nearly ioo bushels per acre. 

Solidity or Heaviness. This indicates full maturity, good quality, feeding 
value and yield. 

Uniformity in Size and Shape of Both Ears and Kernels. Many exhibitors 
and corn growers fail fully to realize the importance of selecting ears of uniform 
size and shape. Large ears will generally have larger and deeper kernels. 
Short, bunchy ears are certain to have deeper kernels than long, slim ears. As 
a consequence the planter cannot be adjusted to give a uniform drop. 

If we have large and small ears, bunchy and slim ears, deep kerneled and 
shallow kerneled ears we shall not only have unevenness in size and shape of 
kernels, but we shall also have a great variation in time of maturity, some stalks 
bearing early and some late, and some having high ears and some low. 

Kernels of the same ear will not mature at the same time, and some will 
turn black and moldy. These late, sappy kernels are likely to be injured by 
freezing. 

Unevenness in size and shape of ears and kernels is an indication that the 
corn has not been improved, that is, it is not well bred. 

It will seldom prove profitable to mix different varieties of corn. Not 
only shall we have all of the objections which have been 
mentioned above, but there will be a tendency to deteriora- 
tion; the crossed or mixed corn not yielding as much as 
either of the varieties crossed. 

Fig. 2. — (g) is germ or heart of the kernel; (fp) is the 
white, floury, starchy looking material in the center of the 
Fig. 2 kernel; (h p) is the hard, horny portion. 

The composition of these parts is approximately as follows: 




Per cent, oil 


Per cent, protein. 


Per cent. ash. 


Total 


Germ or heart . . 50 . 


20 . 


10 . 


80. 


Horny portion . . .5 


10 . 


•5 


11 . 


White, floury . . .3 


8. 


•5 


8.8 



This shows that the heart of the kernel is by far the richest part. Eighty 
per cent, of it being composed of oil, protein and ash, the most valuable food 
constituents. The white, floury looking portion is the poorest part of the 
kernel, containing but 8.8 per cent, of the oil, protein and ash. It will readily 
be seen that the larger the germ or heart and the smaller the floury looking 
portion, the richer will be the corn. We do not need a chemist to show us the 
richest ears; we can determine it by examining the kernels. 

The Germ, Chit or Heart of the Kernel. The germs should be large, clean, 
clear and bright. The germ is much richer in oil, ash and protein than the 



CORN SECRETS 49 

rest of the kernel, therefore, it should be large, giving us stronger germination 
and more vigorous plants in the field. 

Be suspicious of a shriveled, wrinkled or blistered germ. In examining 
corn the germ should be opened up with the knife. This will enable one to 
determine, not only the size of the germ, but its condition. If it is pasty or 
salvy, or is yellow or black, the vitality is very questionable. When possible, 
the germination or vitality should be determined by actually sprouting six 
kernels taken from different parts of each ear. 

Depth of Kernels. Other things being equal the deeper the kernels the 
greater will be the per cent, of corn to the cob and the greater the yield. It is 
therefore desirable to have a good depth of kernel on an ear, but since it is so, 
there is danger of overdoing it. There is much greater loss from selecting ears 
with too much depth of kernels than ears with kernels too shallow. 

The objections to too deep kernels are: i. Their immaturity, sappiness, 
chaffiness, mold, etc., resulting in poor quality and low, actual yield from the 
feeding standpoint. 2. They contain more moisture than shallow kernels, are 
slow in drying out and consequently the seed is more likely to freeze or mold and 
to give a poor stand the following year,which means a less yield. 3. The planter 
is made to handle the average length of kernels and will not give an even 
drop if they are abnormally deep. Experience shows that on an average we 
are much more likely to have a thin stand from deep kernels than from medium 
depth kernels, due, first, to weakness of seed; and, second, to difficulty in 
securing an even drop. 

Sappiness, Chaffiness, Starchiness, etc. These are all indications of 
immaturity and lead us to be suspicious, also, of the vitality. 

A sappy ear is one which contains a large amount of water. It is shown 
by heaviness of ear, softness of grain and cob, and the ease with which the ear 
may be twisted in the hands. When the sappy ear dries out, the kernels are 
shriveled or shrunken and become loose on the cob. We call such an ear 
chaffy. When the kernels in such an ear, instead of being clear, bright, hard 
and horny are dull, soft and whitish or chalky in appearance, we call the ear 
starchy. In all of these cases it is apparent that the corn did not have time 
fully to develop. Either it was too large and too late for the region, or it was 
planted out of season or harvested too early in the fall. For the first reason it 
should be discriminated against much more strongly than for the second, espec- 
ially from the standpoint of seed selection. 

When we say an ear is "mature," "well ripened," etc., we mean that the 
thousands of little cells in the kernels are completely filled, i. e., packed full of 
food for the future plant when the seed germinates. Immaturity means that 
the process by which the cells were filled was stopped too soon. 

Every feeder of experience fights shy of immature corn, because animals 
will not consume enough to make satisfactory gains. When it molds in the 
field or crib, as it does more or less, it is unpalatable and unhealthy. 

Corn put into the crib in the fall in a sappy condition freezes and thaws 
repeatedly through the winter. In March and April when the weather warms 
up, it will be found that the hearts of the kernels have turned to a cheesy color 
and later become black and are strong to the taste. In this last case I have 
reference not to soft, immature corn, but to what would be considered as very 
good corn except that it is large and contains considerable water. 



50 CORN SECRETS 

The real- significance of the matter will be better understood when it is 
realized that the germ or heart of the kernel is by far the richest part of the 
corn for feed. 

Shape of Ear. In general the ear should conform to the variety type. 
For example, we would expect the Reid's Yellow Dent and Legal Tender 
varieties to be longer in proportion to their circumference than the Silver King 
or Boone Co. White. We would expect the Learning to taper more toward 
the tip of the ear than the Boone Co. White or Silver Mine. We often over- 
look the fact that when we attempt to change the shape of the ears there are 
certain other things which are bound to follow. For example, if we select 
ears that are cylindrical, i. e., ears that are as large at the tips as at the butt, 
the ears within a few years will become shorter, larger around, later in maturity, 
higher on the stalk; the kernels larger, deeper and rougher; the stalks larger 
and the leaves thicker and broader. 

Many breeders and exhibitors have injured their corn by selecting ears 
nearly as large at the tip as at the butt. On the other hand, if the ears taper 
too much the corn becomes flinty, the kernels shallow and small toward the 
tip of the ear. If we select long ears our corn will gradually become earlier, 
the kernels broader, shallower and harder, with furrows between the rows. 
The stalks will become smaller, the leaves narrower and the ears lower on the 
stalk. We should bear in mind that when we undertake to bring about by 
selection some one particular thing desired that we also secure a number of 
other things some of which may be very detrimental. 

Climate, soil and the use to which the crop is put are also important 
factors to be considered in determining the type of ear to be selected. As we 
go north with a variety we should select ears that are more slender, and that 
have smoother, shallower kernels and wider furrows. 

As we go south we should select larger ears, fuller in the middle, with 
deeper kernels and a rough dent. 

In like manner a rich soil and higher altitude require, for best results, a 
larger ear than thin, poor soils and lower altitude. In the South a hard, 
flinty corn resists the weevil better than the larger, soft kerneled types. 

Where corn is grown largely for the total feed value of the grain and 
stalks, i. e., where it is cut and shocked or put in the silo, much less attention 
need be given to large shanks and big butts. The fact is, these things tend to 
carry with them sturdiness, vigor and heavy foliage. 

It is well for us to remember that when we get a small butt, shank and cob 
in an ear, we are bound to suffer, in other directions, more or less, for what 
we have gained, especially if we go to the extreme. The stalk will correlate 
itself with these characteristics and become slender, weaker and more likely 
to break over with the wind ; the foliage will be scarcer and paler and there will 
be a general weakening in constitution. 

Fig. ^. Space Between Kernels. — Space between kernels next to the cob 
is objectionable because it results in less proportion of corn to the cob, poorer 
feed value and weaker stalks and lower yield. It is also an indication of im- 
maturity. These two ears are almost exactly the same size and shape, yet No. 
2 shelled out thirty-three per cent, more corn than No. i, and the corn was 
cleaner, brighter and more solid. The right-hand row of kernels is from ear 
No. i with space at cob. The left row of kernels is from ear No. 2 which shows 
no space. Compare No. 4 with No. 3 and No. 6 with No. 5 and notice the 



CORN SECRETS 



51 



difference in plumpness of tips of kernels. Judging from outward appearances 
alone these two ears presented an equally good appearance. It is not enough 
to study the ear only; we must study the kernels, also. 




Fig. 3 

Plumpness of Tips of Kernels. It is always advisable that the kernels of 
an ear should have plump, bright, clean tips, which indicate good constitution, 
maturity and feeding value as well as a high percentage of corn to the cob. 

Fig. 4. Pairs of Kernels From Different Ears. Kernels Should be 
Uniform in Size and Shape. — It will also be observed that these kernels are far 
from uniform in size and shape (compare Nos. 4, 5 and 6) and hence no planter 



52 



CORN SECRETS 



will drop an even number per hill. When we realize that all of these kernels 
were taken from ears that appeared to be good, when examined from the 
standpoint of the ear alone, we can readily appreciate the importance of paying 
more attention to the study of the kernels of corn in our seed ears. The shapes 
best for the corn belt will vary with different varieties and with the purpose 
for which the corn is grown, but there is a tendency toward a uniformity of 
shape and type of kernels for the general field crop. Such type and shape are 
shown best by pairs of kernels Nos. i, 6, 7 and 12 in order named. For late 
planting or early feed, types like Nos. n and 3 are better. No. 12 has full 
plump tips, early clean germs and bright horny kernels. Nos. 4, 8 and 10 show 
the poorest shapes of kernels. It is more difficult to mature an ear with this 
shape of kernel than one of the same size having kernels like No. 12. 




Fig. 4 



Uniformity in Size and Shape of Kernels. In selecting ears for seed or for 
show, much attention should be paid to picking those with kernels of uniform 
size and shape. 

1. The kernels should be uniform on the different parts of the ear, i. e., 
they should not be broad and thin on one side and of the shoe-peg type on the 
other. They should not be thick, coarse and deep at one end, and small and 
round and shallow toward the other. Ears with irregular kernels commonly 
called "nigger heads," caused by the dropping of rows, by imperfect pollen- 
izing or by crooked rows, should be laid aside for other ears providing these 
are as good in other respects. 

2. In length, breadth and depth of the kernels the different ears should 
be as nearly alike as possible. This is necessary if we are to secure an even 
stand and uniformity in essential characteristics. 

The particular size and shape of kernels will necessarily depend on the 
variety of corn grown, the length of season and the use to which the crop is put. 

Filling the Butts and Tips of Ears. Other things being equal, a well filled 
butt and tip are desirable. They give us just that much more corn and indi- 
cate that the corn has been well bred for a number of years. We must not, 
however, make the mistake as some do, of sacrificing yields and other qualities 
to this one thing. It is valuable just to the extent that it gives us more corn. 



CORN SECRETS 53 

The well-filled tips and butts are apt to occur on rather short ears; there- 
fore, unless we are on guard, we will unconsciously shorten the ears, and in this 
way lose more than we gain by adding a few more kernels to the tip and butt. 

The question should always be, Is this ear as good in all other respects? 
If so, choose it in preference. 

Furrows Between the Rows. These will vary with the latitude and with 
the variety. In the northern part of the corn belt it is necessary to grow 
varieties with fewer rows, and shallower and broader kernels. These are 
always accompanied with a pronounced opening or furrow between the rows. 

Character of Dent. The character of the dent has much to do with the 
appearance of corn. It is one of the important characteristics in distinguish- 
ing varieties. While there are all gradations of dent, yet the common designa- 
tions are smooth, medium rough, rough and chaffy. The tendency is for corn 
to become smoother on thin soils, in the shorter seasons of the north, and as 
the elevation is increased. Generally speaking roughness is associated with 
lateness, and smoothness with earliness; again, roughness is always associated 
with deep kernels, and smoothness with shallow kernels. There has been a 
tendency toward a deeper kernel, and as a consequence some of our varieties 
have become later, more immature, lighter and of poorer quality. 

Purity of Color in Both Grain and Cob. The color of the kernels and of the 
cob should correspond to the variety represented. 

Smoothness of Backs of Kernels. The blistering of the back of a kernel 
indicates that it did not dry out properly or was frozen while still sappy. In 
either case there is danger that the germ is weakened or killed. 

Smoothness of Germ. The puffing or wrinkling of the face of the germ 
may indicate freezing or improper drying and should lead to a careful examina- 
tion of the germ and especially of the embryo. 

Adherence of Chaff to Tip Cap of Kernel. Frequently some of the chaff 
of the cob will adhere to the tip cap of the kernel. This is generally an indica- 
tion that the ear was more or less immature when harvested. It occurs 
oftenest on rough, deep kerneled ears. It suggests that the ear was a little 
too late for the region. When shelled such corn appears dull and chaffy, 
instead of clean, bright and sound, and of course there is more danger that 
it has been injured by mold or freezing. 

Adherence of Tip Cap of Kernel to the Cob. This is similar to the condition 
just described above, except that the tip cap of the kernel breaks off in the cob. 
When the corn matures naturally the kernels will separate from the cob at the 
proper place, leaving the chaff attached to the cob and the tip cap to the kernel, 
as it should be. 

The Cob, Its Size and Condition. The cob should be light, bright in color, 
soft, not harsh or woody, and free from mold. A large swollen butt and a 
projecting shank where the ear was broken off at the time of husking are 
objectionable. 

Both of these conditions indicate lack of breeding, shallow and irregular 
kernels and a low proportion of corn to the cob. Ears with large butts and 
large shank attachments are hard to husk and slow in drying out. The shank 
should break off close in at the butt of the ear instead of leaving an inch or two 
protruding from the butt. 



54 



CORN SECRETS 



Straight Rows. Straight rows are preferable to crooked rows. Ears 
with twisting rows are certain to have more or less irregular kernels and to show 
inferiority in many other ways. 

Fig. 5. Grand Champion Dam and Five of its Progeny. V Exhibited by 
Earl Zeller, Cooper, Iowa, in Iowa Junior Contest, 19 10. — From the corn 
shelled off the mother ear at the left and planted, Earl Zeller was able in 
the fall to select these five sample ears. It is seldom that so many good seed 




Fig. 5 

ears can be obtained from the planting of a dozen ears. We have not yet 
learned the value of good ears of corn, ones which will produce results in yield 
and quality. 




Fig. 6. Grand Champion Ten Ears. — Variety Johnson County White. 
Exhibited by R. B. Clore, National corn show, Omaha, 1910. Bought by Suc- 
cessful Farming for $335.00. This is undoubtedly one of the ten best ears ever 
exhibited at a show. This is too large a variety for the northern half of the 
corn belt. 



CORN SECRETS 



55 



Fig. 7. Boone Co. White. — Grand Champion ten ears. Junior show, 
Ames, 1 9 10, exhibited by Bernard Haggland, Assex, Iowa. 




•s«, 5r£e: 




Fig. 7 





Fig. 9 



Fig. 8 

Fig. 8. Silver King. — Sweep- 
stakes for North Central section of 
Iowa Junior corn show at Ames, 
1 9 1 o . Exhibited by Marian George, 
West Union, Iowa. 

Fig. 9. Grand Champion. — 
Junior show 19 10, exhibited by Or- 
ville Garrett. This is a typical 
Reid's Yellow Dent ear of fine 
quality and strong constitution. 

Fig. 10. — This is a remarkably 
fine ear of corn. "Like tends to 
produce like." 

Fig. 11. — Illustrates good 
forms of ears. All are well propor- 
tioned, have good butts and tips, 
the rows are straight and the 
kernels uniform. All of the ears 
show strength, constitution and 
good breeding. Ears Nos. 1, 3 
and 4 would plant well together. 




Fig. 10 



56 



CORN SECRETS 



Ear 
the 



No. 

tip. 



4 is too blunt at the tip. Ears Nos. 2 and 3 have a proper taper to 
A thick tip leads to shorter ears, later maturity and deeper kernels. 

Fig. 12. Space Between Rows. 
— Study these ears carefully. Ear 
No. 3 has about the right amount 
of space between the rows to insure 
best results, while ears Nos. 1 and 4 
illustrate the extreme. Ear No 1 
has too much space, showing a de- 
terioration or "run out" appear- 
ance, and it will shell out a low per 
cent, of corn to the cob. On the 
other hand, where there is too little 
space between the rows, as in the 
case of No. 4, the ear generally pre- 
sents a dull, starchy or immature 
appearance. The kernels are too 
pointed or wedge like, leaving a 
great deal of open space next to the 
cob, and are lacking in vitality. 
Ear No. 2 has a little too much 
space, while there is perhaps not 
quite enough on ear No. 5. 

Fig. 11 





Fig. 12 



CORN SECRETS 



57 



Fig. 13. Irregular Kernels. — In selecting seed ears Nos. 2 and 3 should be 
discarded as no planter will drop a uniform number of these kernels per hill. 




Fig. 13 



Ears Nos. 1 and 4 have kernels of uniform size and shape, and when the 
butts and tips were shelled off the planter dropped three kernels to a hill in 




Fig. 14 



58 



CORN SECRETS 




Fisr. 15 



ninety- three to ninety-five times 
out of every ioo tests, while ear No. 
2 tested 74-3S, IQ-2S, 6-is and 1-5S. 

Fig. 14. Cross Section of Ears. 
— Nos. 1 and 3 have about the 
right proportion of corn to the cob. 
In the case of No. 2 the cob is too 
small and in time the constitution 
and yield will suffer. The cob in 
No. 4 is too large. 

Fig. 15. Study the Seed Ears. — 
Don't guess, when a little examina- 
tion will reveal the strength and 
weakness of the ears. 

Ear No. 1 is strong, sound, 
has good kernels with fair depth, 
which it carries well down to the 
butt of the ear. 

Ear No. 2 tapers too much. 
The kernels are too deep at the 
butt, and too shallow toward the 
tip, making them too uneven for 
the planter. 

Ear No. 3 has small, shallow, 





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CORN SECRETS 



59 



flinty kernels, but little larger than the kernels of pop-corn, which will run 
through the planter too fast. 



These three ears were shelled together and tested in the planter, 
number of kernels dropped per hill ranged from two to seven. 



The 



Fig. 16. Desirable and Undesirable Ears. — Note carefully the difference 
in these ears. Ears Nos. 2 and 5 have kernels of fair depth, which they carry 
as well as they should down to the tip of the ears. Ear No. 4 has a deep kernel 
but becomes too shallow at the tip of the ear, and there is some space between 
the kernels next to the cob and the kernels are too thin for good constitution. 
Ears Nos. 1 and 3 have shallow, low kernels and should be discarded. Until 
the kernels were well examined the real weakness of these ears was not dis- 
covered. The casual observer would have pronounced all of these ears good 
from general appearance. 




Fig. 17 



Fig. 18 



Fig. 17. Scrubs or Degenerates. — They are always most numerous when 
conditions are unfavorable, such as poor ground, late planting, poor cultiva- 
tion, careless selection of seed, etc. If you will notice carefully you will observe 
the peculiarly beaked appearance at the front part of the crown of the kernels 
on ears Nos. 4 and 5. These points, where the silks attached, are almost needle- 
like in their sharpness, 'this is a sign of degeneracy wherever found. It 
generally appears on ears which show many other signs of degeneracy. 

Fig. 18. More Degenerates. — What a contrast to the prize winning ears. 
No one would think of planting these ears, but they illustrate what happens, 
more or less, in every corn-field but especially where we have a mixture of 
different kinds of types of corn. 

Ear No. 1 is faulty, particularly because of the irregular rows and conse- 
quent irregular kernels. 

Ear No. 2 shows the result of mixture of early and late types. If you will 
notice carefully you will see many broken or ruptured kernels. These kernels 
inherited the late characteristics of one of the parents and were soft when 
other kernels hardened and crowded them. The crowns broke open, and many 
of them have become affected and are rotten and moldy. 



6o 



CORN SECRETS 



EarjNo. 4 was too late. By the time its silks were pushed out the pollen 
was gone, and the only fertilization it received was from the old and weak 
grains of pollen which blew off the leaves and tassels where it had lodged. 

Fig. 19. — Ear No. 2 has 540 kernels while No. 3 has 1140, or double the 
number on ear No. 2. 

These ears were picked from the seed ears which were being shelled 
together for planting. When the man was shown these three ears, and asked 
if he thought the planter would give an even drop with such wide variation 
in kernels, he said, "Well, I hadn't thought of that; they looked like good ears 
and I put them in." And so they were good ears in themselves. 

When these ears were shelled separately and tested in the planter, No. 2 
dropped 158 kernels in 100 drops, while ear No. 3 dropped 387 kernels in 100 
drops or checks. But this is not the only disadvantage; the yield and quality 
of the crop will be affected in other ways. There will be immature, moldy, 
and frozen corn, high ears and low ears, ears hard to husk and ears easy to 
husk, etc. 

If this man had laid out his ears intended for seed side by side on the table 
and removed two kernels from each ear, the variation would have been apparent. 
The trouble was that he looked at each ear separately and without any relation 
to the other. 





Fig. 19 



Fig. 20 



Fig. 20. Broken Kernels. — Notice that many of the tips of the kernels 
(lower one-third) remained attached to the cob. Generally only a portion of 
the kernels on an ear are affected. A careful examination will show that the 
rows of kernels in the spots affected are slightly raised above the others. 
Ordinarily, this condition will not be detected until kernels are removed for 
study, or the ear is shelled. It is probably caused by a disease in connection 
with the silks, which sometimes lie between the rows of kernels as they develop. 
If ears are shelled separately such ears can be discarded. It is not enough to 
simply discard the kernels affected. 



CORN SECRETS 



6l 



Fig. 21. The Backs of the Kernels (side opposite germ). — Examine the 
backs of the kernels, for weakness and strength are often revealed there. Nos. 
7, 6, 14 and 13 are the strongest kernels here. They are clean, bright and 
horny. The only objection to Nos. 14 and 13 is that the tips of the kernels 




Fig. 21 

have a little too long projection. Nos. 5, 6 and 4 are even more objectionable 
in this respect. It interferes with the drop. The kernel is really larger than 
it appears. Nos. 11 and 12 are too pointed and shriveled at the tips. They 
indicate lack of constitution. Nos. 12 and 10 show a whitish or chalky color, 



IMtfNUIflltf) 

3736 3d 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22.2/ 


<«;!*& Mb <£»)<ttfe ®^*> 4&® §1 fi§ #tt 
20/8 16 14 12 10 S 6 4 2 


/9 /7 /5 13 II S 7 5 3 / 



Fig. 22 

which shows that the ears did not mature. Such corn is poor in quality 
and will reproduce after its kind. Nos. 8 and 9, kernels cracked or broken 
one-third of the way to crown. 



62 



CORN SECRETS 



Fig. 22. How to Pick Out the Ear with Rich Kernels.— -The best ioo ears, 
discussed in the chapter on "Preparing the Corn for the Planter" (see fig. 10, 
p. 14 "hanging up the seed") should have large, deep germs. 

In preparing the seed corn for the planter in the spring, two or three 
kernels are taken from each ear and laid on the table, germ side up, in front of 
their respective ears. You will notice that some of these kernels will have 
broad germs, others will have narrow germs. In some cases the germ will run 
well to the crown of the kernel, etc. We should not stop by simply examining 
the length and breadth of the germ on the face of the kernel, we should split 
the kernel open with a knife lengthwise through the germ, to determine the 
thickness or depth as well. 

Nos. 21 to 37 show the kernels split open, half of the kernels being removed. 
Note the great variation in depth of germ. Nos. 35, 33, 29, 28, 27 and 21 are 
deep germs, No. 35 being from the ear richest in oil and protein of the 1400 
ears analyzed. Nos. 22, 23, 26, 31 and 32 were especially poor. 

The two lower rows show the cross section of the kernels, 
i. e., the tip of the kernels being cut off showing the depth and 
width of germ. Nos. 2, 4 and 14 have either 
narrow or shallow germs. Nos. 12, 16, 13, 15 
and 1 7 show good size of germ. 

Figs. 23 and 24. — Cross section of kernel 
showing depth and width of germ. 

Fig. 25. — In No. 1 the kernels show chaffy 
portion of cob adhering to them. It gives a bad 
appearance to the corn and indicates immaturity. 
No. 2 shows kernels that are cracked about one- 





Fig. 24 




Fig. 25 

third of the way from tip to crown being injured by some disease. This con- 
dition may not be observed until the ear is shelled. Although only a portion 
of the kernels on an ear is affected, the whole ear should be discarded to 



CORN SECRETS 



63 



prevent the continuation of the weakness. If each ear is shelled separately, 
as it should be, this can be done easily. In No. 3 the tip cap has too long 
a projection which interferes with planting. These kernels also show a 
whitish or starchy appearance toward the tip, indicating that the ear did 
not fully ripen. No. 4 shows kernels with tip cap projecting, the germ having 
broken off in shelling. While this is not a serious defect, it shows that the ear 
did not ripen completely. 

Of the five pairs of kernels in the lower row, No. 5 is the most desirable. 
Pairs of kernels Nos. 8, 9, 12 and 13 are also desirable, showing a combination 
of good depth, large clean germs and good maturity. Nos. 10, 11, 6 and 7 are 
less desirable. 



mm 


m \ j 


mm 




n 




mm r ' * 


i § 




1 j 11 


Ip 


1 2 




k ..JJ 




1! I j 




: 



Fig. 26 



Fig. 26. — Kernels showing large and small germs, taken from different 
ears of corn. The left-hand kernels in all pairs came from ears with low feeding 
value and should be discarded for seed purposes ; while the right hand kernels 




Fig. 27 



with large germs came from ears with a high per cent, of oil, protein and ash 
and give strong plants. 



64 CORN SECRETS 

Fig. 27. Type of Kernels. — Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 11 are' illustrations of 
kernels with small, weak germs. Note how small the germs are compared 
with Nos. 6, 7, 13 and 14. Nos. 8 and 9 have poor shaped kernels; this coupled 
with their small germs, make them very undesirable. Pointed kernels such 
as these do not give room for good development of the germ. In addition to 
being pointed, these kernels are very thin at the tips, and so are weaker than 
they appear. Kernels of this shape frequently break off in shelling, especially 
if immature. No. 2 has a shrunken, blistered germ owing to its immaturity, 
but it is of better form than Nos. 1, 8 or 9. Ears with pointed kernels give a 
very low percentage of corn to cob, as the wedge-like shape of the kernels does 
not allow them to fit closely at the tips next to the cob. Nos. 3 and 10 are 
types of very broad, shallow kernels such as are grown in the north where the 
season is short and where deep kernels could not mature. Kernels Nos. 5 
and 12 have germs rather under the medium size, but are particularly weak 
at the crown. They do not carry their width up well like Nos. 13 and 14. 
They are thin at the crown, giving the ear a chaffy appearance. Of the remain- 
ing four No. 14 is the best, followed by Nos. 6, 13 and 7 in the order named. 
These four are particularly good kernels for the corn belt, they carry their 
width well down to the tip, have large, plump tips and large, clean germs. 
The general appearance of the kernels indicates strength and vitality. 



A Study of the Stalk 

Characteristics of Roots, Foliage, Husk and Tassel of Great Importance 

The character of the stalk should be taken into consideration in selecting 
the seed. 

There are almost as many things to be considered in connection with the 
stalk as have been discussed with regard to the ear; though it will be impossible 
to give to the subject the space it deserves. 

There are the root system; the character of the foliage, and its distribu- 
tion on the stalk; the disposition to sucker and to set several ears; the length 
of the shank, the time of pollenation as compared with silking; susceptibility 
to disease such as rust, smut and mold; tendency to break over at the roots, 
below the ear and above the ear; premature ripening, leaving the ear light and 
chaffy; the position of the ear on the stalk, high, medium or low; erect or 
drooping; the way the ear is covered with the husks and the comparative 
maturity of the different stalks and ears, etc. 

The great majority of corn raisers do not take these things into considera- 
tion. They simply save the occasional good ear throughout the husking season 
or pick them from the crib at planting time. 

We must know the stalk upon which the ear grew, whether the stalk was 
the only one in the hill or one of three stalks. 

How is this to be done? There is just one practical way to do it, and that 
is to go into the field in the fall, before the nights are cold enough to injure the 
vitality of the corn, and select the best ears, provided they come from strong, 
healthy, desirable stalks. We simply must come to this method of selecting 
our seed corn. 

Strong Stalks. The stock from which an ear is selected should be strong, 
vigorous and healthy, indicating ability to win in the competition and to over- 
come unfavorable conditions. We should discriminate against spindling 



CORN SECRETS 



65 



stalks, especially those that are small from the ear to the ground. Particularly 
should we avoid those stalks which have shown their weakness by breaking 
over. The ear is likely to rest, on the ground and gather moisture and mold. 
Though the ear may not rest on the ground it will not dry out, as the wind 
cannot get to it. Such an "ear may be sound and all right this year, but it will 
transmit its weakness if we use it for seed. 

Height of Ear. Select .ears from as nearly the same height and position 
on the stalk as possible. The higher growing ears will tend to make the corn 
later each year, and with this lateness will come larger ears, more rows and 
deeper kernels and finally sappiness, chaffmess, poor quality, frozen or moldy 
corn. Such stalks are more likely to break over in the wind. 

If we go to the other extreme we will soon get an early, small, slim, flinty 
ear with shallow kernels and open furrows between the rows and the yield will 
be reduced. Or, if we select without any regard to height of ear, we will have 
a mixture of large and small ears, of deep and shallow kernels, of soft ears and 
flinty ears, which, in some respects at least, is worse than either extreme. 

Drooping or Erect Ears. An ear that droops its nose slightly as the husk 
begins to turn yellow and open is preferable to one that stands erect allowing 
the water to run down under the husks and stand at the butt of the ear, which 
of course is undesirable. The drooping ears are generally a little earlier than 
the erect ones. If you have a variety in which the ears mostly stand erect 
in ripening time, it is better that the husks should be long enough to cover the 
tip of the ear and remain pretty well closed to prevent the water from running 
down under the cover next to the ear. 



I_ .. ■ _ 








[ 


I THIS EAR ; 




fPffl i 


!S 




liHaifll * 


■ NOT HLRE 




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I 1 


1 


1 


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IS NOT I 

HERE jr-to, 




Fig. 1 



Short Shank Desirable. The ear should be set on a short shank close to 
the stalk. Ears on long shanks are more likely to be broken off and are a 
nuisance to handle especially if the corn is cut and shocked. Of more conse- 
quence, however, is the fact that it indicates a tendency to reversion and degen- 
eracy. 



66 



CORN SECRETS 



Freedom From Disease. The stalks should be free from disease such as 
smut, rust, mold, etc. The corn from some ears is much more susceptible to 
disease than that from others. Anyone who will plant say, 50 or 100 ears, 
efach in a separate row side by side, will notice at harvest time that some of 
these rows are badly affected by smut or rust and sometimes with mold, while 
the adjoining rows may not show a single case of disease on any of the 800 
stalks. I have seen cases where nearly every stalk coming from a certain ear 
was affected, and so badly affected that there was not a good ear on any of the 
800 stalks. 

If you have never given this matter any attention you will hardly notice 
the rusty stalks. The leaves will show hundreds of small faded spots. These 
will be better seen if you hold the leaf up to the light and look through it. 
You may also frequently notice a moldy appearance on the shank or at the 

joints often extending to the ear. 
These are things that are worth 
taking into consideration. 



/ !*•: 





Fig. 4 



The Foliage, its Character and Distribution. A thin, sparse foliage is 
never desirable- It carries with it nothing but weakness. In the corn belt 
where the ear is the most valuable part of the plant, we should secure the kind 
of stalk and foliage which will give the greatest profit in grain. This will not 



CORN SECRETS 



6 7 



be secured by a dense, heavy foliage. The best results will be between the 
two extremes. The leaves should not be thin, pale and papery but reasonably 
broad, thick, dark green and not whipped to shreds by the wind. The lower 
leaves should not be too much dried up and the stalk should not be prematurely 
ripened, as this means weak and inferior ears. 

If the corn is grown for the fodder as well as for the ear, and is to be 
shocked or siloed, then the selec- 
tion should be for an abundance 
of heavy dark-green foliage, with 
leaves broad, thick, leathery and 
green to the ground. 

Sometimes a large proportion 
of the foliage is above the ear, in 
which case the wind is apt to break 
the stalk over. There are other dis- 
advantages such as lateness, etc. 
Neither should all of the foliage be 
beneath the ear, but fairly well dis- 
tributed, with the greater part 
below. 





Fig. 6 



Tendency to Sucker. The tendency to much suckering is undesirable and 
greatly reduces the yield. There are several causes which tend to increase 



CORN SECRETS 



suckering. Rich ground with excessive plant food, wet seasons, thin stand. 
Suckers rob other plants of space, light, moisture and plant food and give in 
return little but fodder. The few nubbins which they produce are soft and 
reduce the quality of the crop. Even when corn is grown for fodder, suckering 
is not desirable. It indicates a tendency to revert to its native condition. 
When ears are planted in separate rows it is observed that some of the rows 
will have many suckers while others may be entirely or nearly free from them. 

The flint corns and the dent varieties grown in the northern outskirts of 
the corn belt show a strong tendency to sucker. Pulling the suckers is often 
impracticable. The thing to do is to select seed from the stalks that are free 
from suckers. 

Two Ears to the Stalk not Desirable. Except possibly in the case of flint 
varieties and the early northern dent varieties which are grown for the fodder 
it will be advisable to select seed from one-ear stalks. If we attempt to 
secure two ears to the stalk, we will greatly reduce the quality. The ears 
will be small and the second one to set will be soft and imperfectly pollinated. 

Covering of the Ear With Husks. 
A heavy mass of husks on an ear or 
the projection of the husks beyond 
the tip of the ear into a tight point 
are objectionable, they prevent the 
corn from drying and make it more 
difficult to husk. The husks should 
just fairly cover the tip of the ear 
and should loosen or open at time 
of ripening to allow circulation of 
air in order to dry out the corn. 

Lice. Lice on the husks will 
cause the shucks to turn yellow pre- 
maturely. In selecting seed do not 
mistake this yellow condition for 
early ripening. 

Figs, i and 2. — The product of 
the average hill of corn in the corn 
belt equals thirty-two bushels per 
acre. We plant three kernels and 
harvest what is equal to one ten 
ounce ear, or one small ear weigh- 
ing seven ounces and a nubbin 
weighing three ounces. 

Fig. 3. Uniformity of Height 
Desirable. — The height of ears will 
vary with different varieties, soils, 
and latitudes, but it should be uni- 
form as shown by these excellent 
hills. If every hill produced two 
Fig. 7 ears such as hill No. 1, the yield 

would be ninety-three bushels per 
acre, or nearly three times the present average of the corn belt. If each hill 
produced three ears such as No. 2, the yield would be 120 bushels or nearly 
four times the average. 

Fig. 4. — We should know the stalk from which our seed ears are picked. 
Here are three hills of corn each with two stalks. It is apparent that the 




CORN SECRETS 69 

height of the two ears in each hill must be due to inheritance, since it could not 
be due to difference in soil or treatment, for these were necessarily the same. 
With different heights of ear are associated many other diversities, which are 
objectionable, such as difference in time of ripening, depth of kernels, shape of 
ear, etc. 

Fig. 5. Stalks Fooling Around all Summer Doing Nothing. — Barren 
stalks and weak ones are the cause of great losses in every field. Where corn 
is grown almost wholly for the grain, these barren stalks are not simply so 
much loss, they are worse than worthless, for they not only deprive the good 
stalks of light, moisture and food, but they produce millions of grains of pollen 
to fertilize the silks of good ears and so propagate their kind for the future. 
Four of the five stalks in these two hills are barren. Notice their weak ap- 
pearance. They were weak when they came up, they were weak when they 
first sprouted. Many of these weak stalks can be eliminated by testing each 
ear and discarding those with weak germination. 

Fig. 6. Inheritance. Three Stalks From One Hill. — Stalk No. 3 is 
barren. Stalk No. 1 bore two ears which weighed one and one-half pounds 
equal to seventy-six bushels per acre. Stalk No. 3 is large and strong, but 
why barren? It inherited this tendency from some of its parents. 

Fig. 7. Strong and Weak Stalks. — No. 1 is a good stalk; the ear is set just 
a little low. No. 2 has long joints, scant foliage and ear too near the tassel. 



The Secret of Breeding 

Improvement by Selection, Heredity and Variation 

Importance. The success of every enterprise is dependent either directly 
or indirectly upon the crops of the farm, and here it is that the great advance- 
ments in the future are to be made, first, by producing larger yields of better 
quality; and, second, by a better use of the crops produced. The larger yields 
will be brought about, first, by better methods of cultivation; and, second, by 
breeding up or improving our crops so that with a certain amount of labor the 
greatest possible yield of the best quality can be produced. 

How to Improve. Improvement will be brought about (1) by securing 
the varieties or strains best adapted to the local conditions and purposes. 

2. By selecting the best individuals of the variety and breeding from 
them. This work will be accomplished largely through the efforts of the 
seedsmen, the experiment stations, the farmers and individuals who will take 
up plant breeding as a matter of interest and pleasure. 

Begin With the Best. The most important step in improvement is to 
secure at the outset that variety which under the best conditions will give the 
greatest yield of the best quality for the purpose desired. The difference in 
yield between different varieties or types is much greater than is generally 
supposed. Too often years are spent in trying to improve some inferior 
variety when there is something better right at hand. 

If every farmer could secure the particular variety of corn best adapted 
to his local conditions, it would undoubtedly increase the average yield more 
than five bushels per acre, thereby adding many millions of dollars annually 
to the wealth of the country. 

In 1903, the Iowa Experiment Station secured seed corn from forty-one 
different farmers in the state, care being taken to secure seed from the stock 
intended to be used by the farmers in planting their own fields. The samples 
were planted, three kernels per hill by hand, and they received exactly the 
same treatment throughout the season. 



70 CORN SECRETS 

A careful study of the plots was made after the corn had matured. Three 
stalks per hill were considered a perfect stand. The important facts brought 
about by this experiment were: 

i. The low vitality of the seed, the average stand of the thirty -six varieties 
being sixty-seven per cent. Some of the samples gave as low as ten, twelve, 
fifteen and twenty per cent, of a stand. Only seven samples gave about eighty- 
four per cent, and five other samples gave between eighty and eighty-five 
per cent., leaving twenty-four of the thirty-six samples with less than eighty 
per cent, of a stand. In other words, it required ioo acres of land and labor 
to secure sixty-seven acres of corn. This tremendous loss can be greatly 
reduced if the methods described in this book are followed. 

2. The wide range in yield, from less than eight bushels to more than 
ninety-one bushels per acre. This was partly due to the poor stand, but we 
must remember that this was the seed that the farmer himself was going to 
plant in his own field and he could not reasonably hope for a better stand than 
was secured in this experiment. 

3. One of the most important facts brought out by this experiment is the 
wide differences in the yield between the different kinds of corn obtained from 
the different farmers where the stands were practically the same. Take for 
example samples Nos. 1 and 2, both of which were from Dallas County but 
from different farmers. No. 1 yielded 54.73 bushels per acre, while No. 2 
yielded 67.63 bushels or thirteen bushels more than No. 1. Sample No. 16 
with eighty-two per cent, of a stand yielded sixty-six and one-quarter bushels, 
while sample No. 6 with seventy-eight per cent, of a stand yielded ninety-one 
and one-half bushels, or a difference of twenty-five bushels per acre. Samples 
Nos. 9 and 10 from Plymouth and Calhoun Counties, with practically the same 
stand, gave a difference of twenty bushels per acre. Many other illustrations 
could be given, all tending to show the difference in producing power of the 
different kinds of corn under otherwise similar conditions. 

4. A study of the varieties showed a great variation in the time of ripening, 
methods of growth, number of barren, broken and smutty stalks, in the height 
of the ears, amount of foliage, etc. 

Help Needed. How then is the farmer or breeder to find out which variety 
is best for his particular conditions? How is he to find who, among the 
hundreds and thousands of his neighbor farmers, have quietly but effectually 
through years of careful selection built up a new strain of some of the best 
varieties until it will outyield anything else in that particular region? 

What Seedsmen Can Do. Seedsmen have done much to introduce profit- 
able varieties and they can do a great deal more along this line. Often the 
farmer finds that the new variety purchased is greatly inferior to the variety 
which he has been growing; in fact, this has generally proved to be so. It is a 
practice too common among seedsmen to exaggerate greatly the merits of their 
different seeds, much to the injury of their own business and to the hurt of the 
agricultural interests of the county. The method of some seedsmen of thor- 
oughly testing some new variety or strain in their trial grounds before advertis- 
ing it, is highly to be commended. 

Looking to Experiment Stations. The experiment stations in the different 
states are testing the most promising varieties and publishing the results, thus 
rendering valuable service. Some of the stations have gone further and are 



CORN SECRETS 71 

trying to find out what varieties are the best adapted to the different soils and 
sections of their state. 

Government Aid Necessary. This work can be carried on extensively 
enough to be helpful only by government aid, hence it is right that experiment 
stations be established and maintained since every interest in the state is as 
much dependent upon the crops of the farm as is the farmer himself. If 
left to the individual nearly all merely experimental work will necessarily 
be left undone. 

County Experiment Stations. Every county should maintain a county 
experiment station where different varieties of grains, forage and other plants 
can be grown to determine which are best suited to the soil and climate of that 
county. 

Crosses Unstable. The results of crosses are often very encouraging at 
first, but as the years go by, hope gives place to disappointment, for the 
breeder sees his plants gradually deteriorating or reverting. 

Many illustrations could be given bearing out the above. Fortunately, 
however, this is not always the case and many of our best varieties, especially 
in horticulture, are the results of crosses. 

Why Crops Run Out. The question is often raised as to whether crops 
"run out" or not. To say that crops do not "run out" would be to deny that 
any variations are produced by changed conditions or environment. When 
plants are brought into new conditions of soil, climate, or methods of farming 
less favorable, they will tend to deteriorate or "run out." 

Desirable Qualities Suffer First Under Unfavorable Conditions. If corn is 
planted too thick (seven or eight stalks per hill) a large yield of foliage will be 
obtained, but the yield of grain will be small. Under unfavorable conditions 
the plant tends to revert to its original condition, and the particular thing for 
which the plant is grown and which gives it value suffers first and most. 

Best Methods Necessary. It is only by the best methods of seed selection 
and of cultivation that the farmer can hope to maintain the valuable qualities 
of his crops, otherwise they will deteriorate or "run out" and it will be neces- 
sary for him to secure seed from some one who has paid more attention to the 
improvement of his crops. 



72 CORN SECRETS 

The Secret of Planting 

Time and Method of Seeding. Quantity of Seed. Garnering the Crop 

Early Planting. While too early planting is not advisable, yet I am 
perfectly safe in saying that for every dollar lost by too early planting, there 
are twenty dollars lost from planting too late. 

The advantages of reasonably early planting are : The assurance of better 
yields, better quality, and a better condition of ground ; while there is less risk 
from frost in the fall, less danger of the freezing of seed before it is dried out 
and from spoiling in crib. Also there is time to replant in case of a poor 
stand due to any cause such as poor seed, too deep planting, injury from 
insects, etc. 

Hills Better Than Drills. Generally, it is best to plant in hills. Repeated 
experiments show that there is no difference in yield of grain between the two 
methods of planting where the same amount of seed is used and the corn is kept 
equally clean ; but it is more difficult to keep the drilled corn free from weeds 
under the average conditions and as a consequence the yield is more or less 
reduced. If there is any advantage from distributing the stalks in the case 
of drills, it is more than balanced by the better cultivation which the ground 
receives when the corn is planted in hills. 

Corn may sometimes be drilled to advantage under the following condi- 
tions: When the field is narrow or irregular or full of obstacles, such as stumps; 
when fodder is the prime consideration ; when the ground is sod and compara 
tively free from weeds, but badly infected with cutworms and other insects; 
or when listing is practiced. 

Quantity of Seed -to Plant. The number of kernels it is best to plant in 
each hill will depend on the strength or richness of the ground ; type of corn — 
whether it is large or small; distance apart of rows and hills; latitude; the 
purpose for which the crop is grown; rainfall; and the vitality or germinating 
power of the seed. 

Corn should be planted thicker on strong land than on thin ground. Thick 
planting on poor land results in a large amount of fodder or stover at the 
expense of grain. On the other hand, it is even a more serious mistake to 
plant too little seed on very rich ground for the plants will sucker badly, and 
give a large amount of fodder but a disappointing yield of corn. The small, 
early growing varieties should be planted thicker than the large, late growing 
kinds. In northern parts where smaller varieties are grown, more seed should 
be used than farther south. For example, it is customary to plant three and 
four kernels per hill (generally four), in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and 
South Dakota, while two and three are planted in Tennessee, Missouri and 
Kansas. Still farther south corn is planted in drills four feet apart and it is 
thinned down to one stalk every two or two and one-half feet in the drill. 
This would not be half the number of stalks required to give the best results 
in Iowa or the north two-thirds of Illinois. Experience shows that corn should 
be planted thinner where the average annual rainfall is light. 

Corn is generally planted to-day in hills three and one-half feet apart each 
way. In some sections three feet eight inches is still the rule, but the tendency 
is toward three feet six inches as the standard. It is not settled that this is 
actually the best distance from the standpoint of yield, but taking the average 
of conditions it is probably not far from right. 



CORN SECRETS 



73 



There is a tendency on the part of the manufacturers of planters, check 
row wires and cultivators to adopt a standard which is largely determined by 
the demand, but when once established the disposition to change is slow. 

Taking these standard distances of three feet six inches and three feet 
eight inches apart each way, what are the actual results year after year on 
different soils and in different localities, from planting different numbers of 
kernels per hill? 

After making a careful study of this question for the past ten years, I 
believe I am safe in making the following statement. That there is much 
greater danger from a stand too thin than from one too thick. 

Corn never thickens up. There is always a process of thinning out from 
the day it is planted until it is ripe. If we plant three and one-half kernels per 
hill, that is, three in one hill and four in the next, we will have at harvest an 
average of two and one-half stalks per hill. If we plant four we will come 
through with two and three-quarter stalks per hill. We make the mistake 
of thinking that if we plant three kernels we are getting three stalks per hill. 

Results of Experiments on Number of Kernels to Hill. The following 
figures are worthy of careful study, since they are the most extensive ever 
conducted along this line. 

These experiments have been carried on under the direction of the Iowa 
State College in co-operation with the supervisors and stewards of the county 
poor farms in various parts of the state, and have extended over a period of 
five years. 

The ground was marked off in rows three feet six inches each way. The 
corn was planted by hand to insure the dropping of the required number of 
kernels in each hill. The first block was planted at the rate of one kernel 
per hill. The next at the rate of one and one-half kernels per hill, i. e., one 
kernel in the first, two in the next, one in the next, two in the next, and so on, 
making an average of one and one-half kernels per hill. The third block was 
planted two kernels per hill; the fourth block at the rate of two and one-half 
kernels per hill and so on up to five kernels per hill. 



, NO. OF KERNELS PER HILL . 

NORTHERN SECTION 
22 EXPERIMENTS ■ 7 COUNTIES 4 YEARS 




31 
41 
50 

55 

■ 61 

■ 63 

■ 64 
»64 
■64 



NO. OF KERNELS PER HILL , 

CENTRAL SECTION 
28 EXPERIMENTS 8 COUNTIES S YEARS 



1 KL 



WK'LS 



214 



3 

m_ 

4 

4!4 

5 



36 
47 
56 
62 
66 
70 
72 
72 
173 



Fig. 1 



Fig. 2 



To insure accuracy the experiment was repeated again and still again so 
that there were three blocks with one kernel per hill, three with one and one- 



74 



CORN SECRETS 



half kernels per hill and so on. This was with one man's "corn. To make 
the work still more dependable seed from a second man was planted in the 



NO. OF KERiNELS PER HILL 

SOUTHERN SECT ION 
25 EXPERIMENTS — 7 COUNTIES 5 VEA 



IK'L 



lHK'LS 




Fig. 3 



97 
47 
56 
62 
64 
65 
65 
66 
167 



NO. OF KERNELS PERJ jjLL. 

?« EXPERIMENTS * 28 COUNTIES # 5 VI 



XKL 



lMKLSj 






Fig. 4 



34 

45 
54 
60 
64 
66 
67 
i6S 
• 68 



BU 
80 



, NO. OF KERNELS PER HILL . 

ija^jbia^_^ias_%iasjjas_j&ias-4as^*piHM 




..1905-5 EXPTS-SCOUNTIESf 1908-20 EXPTS-IO COUKHES 



1906-23 
•1007-11 



10 



•1909-14 
• AVE 73 



same manner. Thus there were six blocks in different parts of the field planted 
with one kernel per hill, six planted with one and one-half kernels per hill, etc. 



CORN SECRETS 75 

The seed was selected from farmers who lived in the county and was above 
the average of the locality in vitality, but it was the type or variety of corn 
commonly grown in that county. The planting, counting of the stand, 
harvesting and weighing was done by an assistant from the college. 

Fig. i . — Presents in a striking way the results of yields. 
Fig. 2. — Summarizes the results of yields per acre in central section. 
Fig. 3. — Summary of yields in southern section. 
Fig. 4. — Average of all the experiments. 

Fig. 5 shows a graphic summary of the results of planting different num- 
bers of kernels per hill during different years. 

Notice that in every one of the five years' experiments there was a rapid 
increase in yield up to three and one-half kernels per hill. 

The heavy black line represents the average results of the entire five years' 
experiments. Notice that the yields in 1905 and 1909 did not increase where 
more than three and one-half kernels were planted, but that in an average of 
all the experiments there was a slight increase up to five kernels per hill. 

Lessons From the Foregoing Tables. These summaries of the seventy- 
five experiments conducted in different portions of Iowa during the past five 
years showed : 

1. That the danger lies in planting too little rather than too much seed. 
When we planted more seed than was necessary we did not reduce the yield, 
but when we planted less the yield fell off rapidly. 

2. That in each section of the state, the yield increased rapidly up to 
three and one-half kernels per hill, but that beyond this number the increase 
was very slight. 

3. That twenty-nine out of every 100 kernels planted in the spring, 
either failed to grow or were destroyed by insects or cultivation, leaving only 
seventy-one stalks at harvest time. This is the result of more than 3,000 
tests in which the seed was gathered at planting time from the planter boxes 
in the field, so that it represented the actual corn planted by the farmer. 

4. That the thin planting gave a large per cent, of suckers while from the 
thicker planting were produced more barren stalks. 

5. The quality of the corn was not so good with the thin planting, due, 
first, to the fact that many stalks bore a second ear which was smaller, later 
and softer than the other ; and, secondly, to similar ears borne by the suckers. 
There were more nubbins where the larger number of kernels were planted, but 
they were of better quality than the second ears and ears borne on the suckers 
in the case of thin planting. 

Numerous experiments have been conducted in various parts of Illinois 
during the past fifteen years with results similar to those given above. 

Let us not deceive ourselves by thinking that because we plant three 
kernels to the hill that we have three stalks per hill at harvest time. 

Shrinkage of Corn in Crib. Many experiments have been conducted to 
determine the amount of loss from storage of ear corn in the crib. Perhaps 
the most extensive tests have been those conducted by Iowa and Illinois. 

The shrinkage varies considerably with the different seasons, and with 
different varieties of corn. 

The following table will show the per cent, shrinkage by months for eight 
different years at the Iowa Experiment Station at Ames: 



7 6 



CORN SECRETS 



MONTH 



November 
December 
January . 
February . 
March . . 
April . . . 
May . . . 
June . . . 
July . . . 
August . . 
September 
October . . 



1898 
1899 


1899 
1900 


1900 
1901 


1902 
1903 


1903 
1904 


1904 
1905 


1905 
1906 


1906 
1907 


Aver- 
age 


Mo. 
rate 


8.1 


4.0 


2.6 


1.8 


8.2 


8-3 


7.2 


1.4 


5-2 


5-2 


89 


2.6 


3-6 


3-6 


10.9 


9-5 


9.2 




6.9 


1-7 


9.0 


2.3 


4.6 


5-7 


11. 7 


10.2 


9.0 




7-5 


.6 


10. 1 


2.7 


5-9 


6.0 


12.6 


10.5 


11.6 


3-i 


7.8 


•3 


10.3 


4.4 


6.8 


9.2 


14.9 


15-3 


12.0 


4-5 


9-7 


i-9 


14.6 


6.6 


8.6 


15-3 


19-3 


15-4 


151 


7-i 


12.8 


3-i 


150 


7-4 


1-1.4 


15.1 


24-3 


19.0 


17-5 


8.2 


14.7 


i-9 


16.0 


8.0 


12:4 


21.4 


26.0 


19.8 


19. 1 


7.6 


16.3 


1.6 


17-7 


7-4 


15-9 


22.5 


26.7 


20.2 


19-5 


8.2 


17-3 


1.0 


18.0 


7-i 


15-0 


22.6 


29-5 


21.2 


18.7 


8.6 


17.8 


•5 


19.9 


7-6 


14.0 


24.8 


30.5 


20.6 


19-3 


8.9 


18.2 


■4 


19.7 


7-9 


13-6 


24.9 


30.0 


20.8 


19-3 


9-5 


18.2 


.0 



It will be seen that the total shrinkage for the year varied from a little 
less than eight per cent, in 1900 to thirty per cent, in 1904, the average for the 
eight years being a little over eighteen per cent. 

The shrinkage would be somewhat greater than this under ordinary farm 
conditions as there would be some loss from rats, mice and birds, which could 
not occur in this case as the crib was screened with wire. 

Note that the loss was generally greatest during November and the first 
part of December and again during the spring months of March, April and 
May, the average being over five per cent, in November and three per cent, in 
April. 

"In 1893 a Farmers' Club in Pennsylvania adopted a resolution, asking 
the members to make a test and find out by actual weight how much corn 
would shrink or lose weight from husking time until the next June 1st. In 
accordance with that resolution, ten farmers reported that the shrinkage from 
November 1st to February 1st was eight and two-thirds per cent.; the shrinkage 
from February 1st to June 1st as eight per cent., or from husking time to June 
1st next, sixteen and two-thirds per cent. The following year a similar test 
showed a shrinkage of 16.5 per cent." * 

The Secrets of Cribbing Corn. We have become careless about cribbing 
corn. There is considerable loss every year from the heating and molding of 
corn in the crib and in such years as last, the loss was enormous. We have 
expanded our cribs from six to eight, ten and sometimes twelve feet in width, 
We have set them down close to the ground, made solid, tight floors and in 
many cases have boarded the double cribs up tight on the outside. 

What corn needs when put in the cribs in November is the free circulation 
of air, the more the better. During the early part of the husking season corn 
contains from twenty to forty per cent, of moisture, but it must be dumped 
into the bottom of one of these cribs where there is little chance to dry out. 
More corn is shoveled in on top of it with more or less silks, husks and shelled 
corn. 

Those who have observed closely will agree with me that this corn does 
not spoil in the fall or winter while the weather is cold, but that in the spring, 
during March and April, when the weather warms up and the germinating 



♦Bowman and Crossley's book on Corn, p. 209. 



CORN SECRKTS y 7 

period approaches, the corn in the bottom of the crib begins to sweat and then 
to heat and mold. It "burns out," is light, the chit of the kernel is black and 
strong to the taste. Such corn is really of little value either for feed or for the 
market. 

Our cribs should not be more than eight feet in width (better six feet), 
should not be boarded up tight on any side, should be higher from the ground 
and above all should have slat bottoms to admit air from below. By slat 
bottoms I mean 1x4 inch pieces set on edge one inch apart. 

Where the first corn put into the crib is immature or sappy, .t is a good 
plan to set some A shaped horses four to six feet long end to end lengthwise 
through the center of the crib. These should have strips of boards nailed on 
the sides sufficient to prevent the corn from filling in all of the space under the 
horses. This method will give circulation of air through the center of the 
bottom part of the crib where the corn most frequently spoils. 



Index 



A 

Page 

Adapting seed to climate 50 

Adherence of chaff to tip cap 5 J 

Adherence of tip cap to cob 5 6 

Advantages of sawdust box 1° 

Anchor setting, careless 30 

Animal enemies 32 

Ants • %J 

Aphis or corn-root louse J * 

B 

Barnyard manure 27 

Beetles ,, 

Best methods necessary ■ ■' * 

Best 100 ears ............... ' a* 

Better treatment of spring plowing. . . .28 

Blind cultivation 30 

Box, sawdust *° 

Breeding secrets °^ 

Bushels, per acre ' 

Butting ears L 

Butts, filling ■ •, • • ■ • • °- 

Buying seed corn from a distance » 



c 

Careless anchor setting 30 

Chaff .- ••.■.%■•; 12 

Chaff, getting rid of ^ 

Chaffiness TZ 

Character of dent j" 

Character of foliage ™ 

Checking, even j? 

Circulation of air .:•" 

Clover • 27 - 2 s f 

Cob, condition of ^ 

Cob, size of s , 

Color, purity of ^ 

Combating insect pests •>* 

Comparing ears 

Condition of cob ^ 

Condition of ground. J" 

Convenient method of gathering 20 

Corn contests 

Corn crop for 1910 » 

Corn, fall plowing for £' 

Corn judging, difficult V- 

Corn-root louse ^ 

Corn-root louse, remedy. J* 

Corn-root worm, work of " 

Corn-root worm, remedy •»* 

Corn score card : 

Countv experiment stations ' * 

Covering ear with husks °° 

Crosses unstable '* 

Cultivation, blind ^" 

Cultivation, shallow JU 

D 

Deep planting. ^° 

Dent, character of j" 

Depth for plowing j° 

Depth of kernels. . . ■ ■ • ** 

Destroying worms by rotation J £ 

Discarding poorer ears ?7-28 

Discing -^ 

Discing early spring j° 

Diseases, freedom from 00 

Diseases, fungous tt 

Drills vs. hills '/■ 

Drooping ears DO 



Page 

Ear, covering with husks 68 

Ear, height of °^ 

Ear, shape of ^i 

Early planting ,L 

Ears, butting 

Ears, discarding poor. . . 

Ears, drooping 

Ears, erect 

Ears, shelling separately 

Ears, size of 

Ears, tipping 

Enemies 

Erect ears 

Examining kernels 



Experiments on number of kernels to 

hill 

Experiment Stations 



.27 
.21 

. 7 
.52 
.33 



Fall plowing for corn 

Fertilizers 

Fifty-four bushels per acre 

Filling butt and tips of ears .... 

Firing 

Firing in dry seasons £ ' 

Fodder •■•°' 

Foliage 64 ~^ 

Foliage, character of ™ 

Food of corn-root worm " 

Four important points ^ 

Frozen seed corn ^ 

Fungous diseases ^A 

Furrows between rows 3 - 



Gathering seed corn 2 ^ 

Germination test *" 

Germ of kernel . *° 

Germ, smoothness of 

Getting rid of chaff .......... 

Getting rid of irregular kernels. . . 

Good ground 

Good soil, secret of 

Good vitality. 

Government aid 

Grading 

Growth of corn, uneven 



H 



.32 



Habits of corn -root worm J ^ 

Hand-picking. iil-M? 

Hanging up seed corn 1* ^ 

Harrowing the seeded ground ■*» 

Harvesting • • • ■ • • _- 

Harvesting next year s seed corn ^ 

Height of ear ^ 

Help needed __ 

Hills vs. drills 

Husks 



64 



Indications of root worm work 33 

Importance of right placing ■ -jA 

Improvement ,_ 

Insect enemies ^ 

Insect pests 27 

Insects • • • -q 

Irregular shaped fields " 



Judging corn, difficulty of. 



,.42 



CORN SECRETS 



79 



K 

Page 

Kernel, depth of 49 

Kernel, germ of 48 

Kernels, examining 10 

Kernels, irregular 12 

Kernels, moldy 16 

Kernels, smoothness of 53 

Kernels, space between 50 

L 

Land, worn-out 27 

Lice 68 

M 

Manure, barnyard 27 

Manure, spreading 27 

Manuring 34 

Mature seed corn 42 

Moldy kernels 16 

N 

Northern corn-root worm 32 

Northern corn-root worm food 33 

Northern corn-root worm habits 32 

o 

Oats to be followed by corn 8 

P 

Picking out bad kernels 13 

Placing, importance of correct 42 

Planter, testing 12 

Planting early 28 

Planting secrets 72 

Planting too deep 28 

Plowing, depth 28 

Plowing, fall 27 

Plowing, spring 28 

Plumpness of tips of kernels 51 

Points in corn contests 42 

Precautions for testing 15 

Preparing seed for planter 9 

Purity of color 53 

Purpose of score card 43 

Purpose of show 47 

Q 

Quantity of seed to plant 72 

R 

Real purpose of show 47 

Reid's Yellow Dent 50 

Remedy for corn-root louse 34 

Remedy for corn-root worm 34 

Root system 64 

Rotation system 8 

Rotation to destory worms 33 

Rows 54 

Rows, furrows between 53 

Rows, straight 29 

s 

Samples for judging 47 

Sappiness 49 

Sawdust 15 

Sawdust box 16 

Score card 44 

Score card, purpose of 43 

Score card, secret of 43 

Secret of arranging samples for judging. .47 

Secret of blind cultivation 30 

Secret of breeding 69 



Page 

Secret of cribbing corn 76 

Secret of early planting 28 

Secret of early spring discing 28 

Secret of even checking 29 

Secret of good soil 27 

Secret of keeping ground in good condi- 
tion 30 

Secret of planting 72 

Secret of straight rows 29 

Secrets of the score card 43 

Seed corn, buying 8 

Seed corn, frozen 24 

Seed corn, maturity of 42 

Seed corn testers 15 

Seed corn, vigor of 42 

Seed, hanging up 14-26 

Seed, preparing for planter 9 

Seeded ground, harrowing 30 

Seeding clover 28 

Seedsmen 70 

Selecting seed corn 47 

Selection 69 

Shallow cultivation at laying-by time . . 30 

Shank 65 

Shape of ear 50 

Shelling ears separately 11 

Short shank desirable 65 

Silver King 50 

Size of cob 53 

Size of ears 47 

Slow growth of corn 34 

Smoothness of germ 53 

Smoothness of kernels 53 

Soil, secret of good 27 

Solidity or heaviness 48 

Space between kernels 50 

Spreading manure 27 

Spring discing 28 

Stalk, study of 64 

Stalks, strength of 64 

Starchiness 49 

Storing 6-14 

Straight rows 54 

Strong stalks 64 

Study of the stalk 64 

Suckers, tendency to 67 

System of rotation 8 

T 

Testers, seed corn 15 

Testing 6 

Testing box 15 

Testing each ear 24 

Testing planter 12 

Testing precautions 15 

Things not to do 8 

Tilth, mellow, lively 30 

Tipping ears 11 

Tips, plumpness of 51 

Two ears to stalk 68 

Tying up seed corn 25 

u 

Uneven growth of corn .33 

Uniformity 48-52 

V 

Vigor of seed corn 42 

Vitality 43 

w 

Washing 27 

Weeds 27 

Working on time 27 

Worn out land 27 



Utt 



a e a/ ■ w 



A LIST OF THE 

Remarkable Booklets 

PUBLISHED BY THE 

WILMER ATKINSON CO. 



POULTRY SECRETS : First published in 1908, this collection of the care- 
fully guarded secrets of famous poultrymen created a sensation in 
poultry circles. Every secret is valuable and every one has passed 
severe tests of its usefulness. 64 pages, illustrated. 12th Edition, 
75th thousand. 

HORSE SECRETS : Compiled and written by Dr. A. S. Alexander, of 
Wisconsin, the eminent veterinarian. Exposes the swindling 
methods of "gyps" and crooked dealers. Also many feeding and 
fattening secrets. Invaluable to horse buyers and owners. 64 pages, 
illustrated. 6th Edition, 55th thousand. 

HOLDEN'S CORN SECRETS: See preceding pages. 

THE MILLION EGG FARM: Describing the enormous business and 
plant of J. M. Foster's Rancocas Farm, where 20,000 laying hens 
are producing between 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 eggs for market this 
year. Written 'specially for beginners. 80 pages, illustrated. 

$100,000 A YEAR FROM POULTRY: The story of the Curtiss 
Brothers and their Niagara Farm, built up from nothing to an 
annual business of $100,000 per year. Ducks, eggs, broilers, and 
clover are their staples. A remarkable story. 56 pages, illustrated. 

GARDEN GOLD : A new booklet Written for people with small gardens, 
showing how to raise your own vegetables in these days of high 
prices and SAVE money. And how to MAKE money by selling 
your surplus. Splendid for people with back yards only. 64 pages, 
illustrated. 

HALF A TON OF BUTTER PER COW PER YEAR: Seven cows in 
America have reached this amazing record. Prof. Van PELT, of 
Iowa, tells how it was done, how dairymen can largely increase their 
butter yield, and in many cases equal the famous seven. 56 pages, 
illustrated. 

SHALL I FARM? For city people trying to decide whether or not to go 
to the country. No golden promises, but a clear, impartial, un- 
biased, unprejudiced weighing of the subject. All the advantages 
and disadvantages of all kinds of farming plainly set forth. Noth- 
ing like it ever before printed. 64 pages. 



All of these booklets are similar to this. The price of each, to Farm 
Journal subscribers only, is 



25 cents, Postpaid 



To others they are sold only with a subscription, $1.00 for one copy of the 
booklet, with Farm Journal four full years. 

Address : 

WILMER ATKINSON CO., Philadelphia, Pa. 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 

fj T : :-, 



